Nature Versus Nurture, Part One
by RudeOuijaBoard
Summary: Kakuzawa and Arakawa go to Nagoya, where the director keeps his Diclonius son in a separate institute. Intent on using him to capture Lucy, his plans go awry when his child awakens prematurely, escapes, and falls into the hands of a rival family who refuse to surrender him. Meanwhile, Kouta contemplates his feelings for Nyu. Rated M for violence, sexual content, and language.
1. Prologue

**Nature Vs Nurture is a two part story that picks up where the anime left off. Part one primarily focuses on Lucy's half brother, the only male Diclonius in existence, and his adoptive mother, who protects him from Director Kakuzawa. Meanwhile, Nyu has returned to the Maple Inn, and Kouta contemplates his conflicted feelings for her.**

**To be clear, the male Diclonius is the same one from the manga. Since he did not really get to develop as a character there, I thought I'd give him a story here.**

**Reviews her welcome if you wish to leave them. Despite my pen name, I'm really not that rude.**

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

Nature Versus Nurture, Part 1

Prologue

Lucy stood there, surrounded by soldiers, their lights shining on her.

"READY!" One of them shouted. The soldiers all raised their weapons. Lucy brought her fingers to her lips, reflecting on the kiss she gave to the love of her life less than thirty minutes ago. It had been one of the few happy moments of her life, certainly one of the best. It had given her hope, hope for a future with him, assuming of course that she would survive this imminent battle.

_They will not take me back to that hell. There's only two ways this will end. Either I kill these soldiers, or they kill me._

Lucy looked up at the armed men around her, and tried to formulate a method of attack. With one of her horns missing, she found that she could only use half of her vectors, and those at only half their strength. Even so, she was confident that she could hold her own in this fight.

"FIRE!"

Lucy summoned her vectors, and the soldiers opened fire. She charged forward, blocking countless bullets as she closed in on the cluster of soldiers directly ahead of her. She slashed off one's head, and cut another in half in the length of a second, careful to continue protecting herself. She killed the remaining soldiers within her range, blood and gore surrounding her. As the fight progressed, her vectors protected her fairly well, though with only half of them, a few bullets managed to get through and graze her. The wounds were minor, however, and she pushed through the pain.

As her more distant opponents fired at her, she calmly looked around her and found many spent bullets at her feet, as well as their casings. She scooped up a large amount of them with one vector, and flung a cloud of them at a cluster of soldiers to her left. Some of them were killed immediately by the high velocity shrapnel, others were wounded.

She continued to battle the battalion of stubborn SAT officers, dropping them like flies. Despite their increasing casualties, they did not retreat. She tore apart any that got within her vectors' reach, and took the rest out with anything that she could throw, including the various body parts of their fallen. She sustained more injuries of her own, but did not falter. Toward the end of the battle, there were five soldiers remaining, including the squad commander. They had managed to surround her.

"Why don't you all walk away now?" Lucy asked. "If you leave, I won't come after you. I promise."

"Fuck you!" The squad leader said. Lucy turned to face him. "After what you just did, you think we'd take your word for it?"

"You're the ones forcing my hand here," Lucy countered. Her vectors surrounded her, ready for any attack. "I don't want to kill anyone anymore, but I want to go back to that hellhole lab even less. Just walk away. Now!"

"Take her down!" The leader said. The five remaining troops fired their weapons, and Lucy sprang into action. She sliced off the leader's hand, knocked him down, and turned to the nearest subordinate soldier. She got in range, and pulled his head from his shoulders. She threw the head at the furthest one with enough force to penetrate his chest. He launched herself into the air with her vectors and brought herself down on another soldier, crushing his ribs into his organs as she pressed him into the concrete. He coughed up a large amount of blood, and Lucy left him to choke.

Lucy picked up the soldier's submachine gun and pointed it at the remaining soldier. She emptied it's clip into him, and turned her attention to the only living human left, the squad leader who's hand she cut away. As she walked toward him, she removed a pistol from another dead man's holster with her vector, and brought it to her physical hand.

She stood over him, looking down into his eyes. What she did not know was that he had pulled his own pistol out with his remaining hand, and kept it out of her sight all while she was killing his remaining men. He gripped it tightly, ready to try one last time to take her out.

"I gave you a chance," she said. "This is your own doing." She brought the pistol up and pointed it at his head.

The squad leader brought his pistol up as fast as he could and fired at the same instant that she did. Her bullet struck him in his forehead. His bullet hit her remaining horn, sending it flying in the moonlight. A surge of great pain struck her and she fell onto her back and passed out.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kouta sat on his knees, looking at the pink seashell in his hand, the music box playing Lilium in front of him. He remembered the beautiful horned woman who gave it to him, and his heart burned. He put it back in the box and headed back down to the dining room to wait for Yuka to finish making lunch. He sat in a chair on the patio just outside the room.

It had been two days since Nyu, or at least her other side, had left to face the people pursuing her. He brought his hand to his lips, remembering the kiss he shared with her. He looked over to see Yuka setting out the dishes.

"Yuka," he said. "You know you put out an extra bowl."

"I just thought it would be nice," She said. "Having her here."

"Yeah," Kouta said. "You're right."

Mayu and Nana joined them at the table. Nana took her first bite of somen noodles, and was taken aback at their flavor.

"Yummy!" She said.

"That's right," Yuka said. "This is your first time eating somen noodles."

"Yes," Nana said. "I couldn't be here the last time you made them."

A sudden air of sadness entered the room, everyone remembering the other horned girl who couldn't be with them. Everyone began eating in silence, until they heard Wanta barking at the front of the inn.

"Is someone at the door?" Yuka asked.

"I'll go see," Kouta said. He got up and headed toward the door. He looked out to see a silhouette at the front gate. Wanta barked excitedly at the visitor. Kouta put on his shoes and walked toward the gate. Before he got halfway there, a noise behind him caught his attention. The grandfather clock in the hallway started chiming the instant his music box stopped. He turned in surprise.

"It's working," He said. He remembered the time Nyu took it apart.

_She fixed it? How did she do that?_

He turned back to the gate. Something in his heart made him sprint for it. He pulled the door open, and his heart jumped.

"Nyu!" He said. The woman he feared that he would never see again stood there before him, covered in blood and wounds, struggling to stand. When he last saw her, she was missing one horn. Now she was missing both of them.

"Kouta," she wheezed. She stumbled forward and embraced him. With what strength she had, she brought her lips up to him, and gave him a deep kiss, much like the one she had given him before. After she released his lips, she looked into his eyes for several seconds, and he looked into hers. With the image of his face fresh in her mind, she gave into her exhaustion and passed out in his arms.

"Nyu?" He asked, worried sick. "Nyu, wake up!" He turned to face the house. "Yuka! Yuka, I need help!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Over the past two days, Arakawa had gotten to know her way around the Diclonius Research Institute. Even though she had been researching the Diclonius virus for quite a while now, she had only recently seen an actual diclonius for the first time. Yesterday, to be specific. The scientists were launching iron balls at one of the older silpelits, who was chained to a wall. If she remembered correctly, the scientists had labeled her number 4.

Despite knowing full well the dangers these horned girls posed to the human race, she could not help but feel uncomfortable at the conditions that they were being kept in. The monster who ran the place did not even give them any clothes. The longer she was there, the more she suspected that the Director's intentions with the Diclonii were not what his late son told her they were.

_I don't think he wants to save humanity from the Diclonius. What the hell have I gotten myself into here? _

She was walking down the hall of the institute when Director Kakuzawa came up to her in the hallway. She was more than a little nervous, as the Director had been very agitated when he learned that Lucy had once again escaped his grasp. From what she heard, when his people got to the sight of her latest battle, they found every SAT operative that was sent after her killed, and Lucy was nowhere to be seen. The only sign of her found at the sight was one of her horns.

"Arakawa," He said sternly.

"Yes?" She said.

"I have some business to attend to in Nagoya, and you will be accompanying me there. I want you to bring with you the data you have on the virus. You will be continuing your research into it there."

"What is in Nagoya?" Arakawa asked apprehensively.

"Another research facility," Kakuzawa said. "I have a special project in progress there, a project that will be the key to capturing Lucy."

Apparently, the director's irritation had died away, and had been replaced with one of optimistic eagerness.

_Coming from him, this may actually be worse than anger._

"Okay then," Arakawa said. "When do we leave?"

"First thing tomorrow morning." Kakuzawa said. "Pack some clean clothes. We are going to be there for a while."


	2. Chapter 1: The Boy in the Tank

**So the story begins. The second half of the chapter introduces my OC. It also tries to solve the issue of the boy's age that was never addressed in the manga.**

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

Chapter 1

The Boy in the Tank.

The trip had been tense, at least from Arakawa's perspective. After a long helicopter ride from the Kanagawa prefecture all the way to Nagoya, she and Director Kakuzawa sat in a limousine, which took them downtown into the Naka ward, located in the very center of the city. It was Arakawa's first time in a limo. It would have been an enjoyable experience were it not for the company she shared.

"What's the matter, my dear?" The Director asked, sensing the young scientist's unease.

Arakawa put on a straight face.

"I'm just puzzled," she said, "about why this special project of yours had to be so far away from the institute."

"A fair question," Kakuzawa replied. "First of all, there's simply not enough room at the facility for this project. Secondly, this needs to be kept away from the rest of the staff. Only people I trust completely take part in this one. You should feel honored."

"Oh, I am," Arakawa said. She tried hard to keep the fear out of her voice, but was not sure if she was successful.

_Honored? _She thought. _Even if your hand isn't on it, your still holding me at gunpoint. I'm not honored at all. _

The limo pulled up to the sidewalk. The driver stepped out and opened the door for the two passengers. Arakawa followed the director out of the car. She looked up to see a tall, dark grey building. She estimated it to be between fifteen to twenty stories tall. Despite the morning sun shining brightly on the building, all of its windows were dark, save for the sun's reflection. She could tell that all of them were one way glass, and heavily tinted.

_Whatever's in there,_ _this guy really wants to keep it a secret. _

Arakawa followed the director through the building's front door. Inside was a rather normal looking lobby, with a receptionist sitting at the front desk. As they approached, the receptionist looked up.

"Ah, Director Kakuzawa," she said, "Doctor Nousou has been awaiting your arrival. You will find him in the main laboratory."

"Excellent," Kakuzawa said.

Arakawa followed him through the double doors behind the front desk. She quickly discovered that even though this place had the appearance of an office building on the outside, the interior had metal walls and doors similar to those of the Diclonius Research Institute. The duo turned several corners until they reached a group of elevators.

After a brief ride up four floors, they emerged in a room whose walls were made of a darker metal. They were met by a rather young looking scientist with light hair tied up in a ponytail. He walked up to them as soon as he saw the two. He appeared to be happy to see them.

"Ah, Director," the man said, shaking Kakuzawa's hand, "Good to see you again. I apologize, I would have met you downstairs, but I've been needing to keep a close eye on the subject lately."

_This guy's awfully cheerful. _

"It's no trouble, Dr. Nousou," Kakuzawa said. "We came here to see him anyway."

"We?" Nousou asked. He looked over to the younger scientist. "Ah, you must be Arakawa. You must be excited to be here."

"I would be," Arakawa said, "If I knew what I'm supposed to be excited about."

"Well I'm glad you asked," Nousou said, "Come here and I'll show you."

The excited scientist led Arakawa and her new boss to a pair of tall observation windows. When she looked through the windows, she realized that the room she was in was an observation room. It was elevated over a much larger room, which was, by her estimates, about thirty meters in diameter. It was mostly empty, except for some kind of cylindrical container lying prone in the center of it. The end of the cylinder had a large number of wires and tubes splitting off in several directions. One large wire seemed to connect to a set of computer monitors in the observation room she stood in.

_That room is huge. It must take up at least two floors. No wonder the outside windows are tinted. It's the only way to hide all of this. _

"See that tank in there?" Nousou asked. "Inside that tank is the key to the future of the human race. Well, one of two keys anyway."

"What's in it?" Arakawa asked.

"My son," Kakuzawa said. Arakawa looked up at the director. A sinister grin adorned his face that made her spine shiver.

_He has another son? And he keeps him in a tube? _

"Shall we take a look at him?" Nousou asked.

"Yes," Kakuzawa affirmed.

Nousou led them through a reinforced door into the large chamber, and down a small flight of stairs. Once they entered, Arakawa saw that most of the cylinder's tubes were connected to multiple tanks high up on the walls.

_This is just plain creepy._

They soon stood in front of the tank in the center of the room. Up close, Arakawa could see that it was just a little larger than a casket and its top was covered by a layer of steel. There were several dials, buttons, and readout displays, including a life sign monitor.

"Care to do the honors Director?" Nousou asked.

"Absolutely," Kakuzawa affirmed. He pressed a large button on the side. The metal covering on the tank rose like the hood of a car, exposing a glass pane.

"Come and take a look, Arakawa," the Director said. The young woman walked up to the tank and saw a little boy, apparently sleeping. To Arakawa's shock the boy was...

"A Diclonius," she exclaimed.

"Yes," Kakuzawa said with evident pride, "The only male Diclonius in the world. And he is my son."

_This Diclonius is the key to the future of Mankind? I don't like the sound of that. Especially if it's this monster's son. _

The boy lay in the tank, suspended in fluid, clearly unconscious. He appeared to be around ten years old. He had the signature horns of the Diclonius species, and deep red hair. There were many tubes and cords connected to his body, mostly to his limbs. Only his closed eyes were visible, as the rest of his face was covered by a breathing mask. His genitalia were covered by a large tube that she assumed to be a kind of catheter. There was also a feeding tube inserted into his lower abdomen.

"I had assumed he would be older than this by now," Kakuzawa said. "Why is he this young?"

Arakawa looked up, confused at the question.

"Unfortunately," Nousou said, "We've hit a bit of a snag with the growth hormone. It started interfering with the sedative, so we've had to reduce the dosage. He's almost woken up twice already. There's no way he's ready for that."

"I was hoping he would have hit adolescence by now," Kakuzawa said.

"Actually, he's right on the verge of it. We think that it's his adolescent hormones that are intermixing with the silpelit hormones, and that's what's interfering with the sedative.

"Um, excuse me," Arakawa interjected, "But I'm a little bit lost here. Uhh, what exactly is this...tank for?"

"Hmm, where to begin," Nousou pondered. "Well, I'm sure you know about the differences between the silpelit Diclonii and Lucy?"

"More or less," Arakawa affirmed.

"Well one of the key differences is that the silpelits age twice as fast as normal humans, whereas Lucy and presumably other fertile Diclonii like this young fellow here age at a normal rate. This is caused by a unique hormone secreted by the silpelits. What we've done is clone a large number of silpelits, harvest this hormone from them, and inject it into this boy in large quantities to speed up his aging process. That is this tank's main purpose."

"Just how rapidly are we talking about here?"

"Tell me, how old does he look to you?"

Arakawa took another look at the sleeping child.

"I'd say around ten-ish."

"Incorrect," Kakuzawa said. "He is only two and a half years old," Kakuzawa said.

Arakawa looked at Kakuzawa, then back to the boy.

"Wow," she said, "That's some hormone. But...why do you need him...old?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kakuzawa said, "He's the key to finding Lucy. And when he does, I need him strong enough to subdue her. I also need him old enough to...be her king."

Arakawa thought about this statement for a moment, then it hit her. She looked down at the little boy sleeping soundly in the tank.

_This psycho wants this kid to mate with Lucy. _

"I see," She said. She observed the child, specifically the tubes that fed into him. She recognized the feeding tube, the catheter, some that likely fed other nutrients into him, and several thin wires that connected to his arms and legs. She deduced that these were used to stimulate his muscles to protect them from atrophy. There were however two wires that she couldn't figure out. They branched out from a large cord at the head of the tank, and connected to his temples. Her eyes followed the cord and saw that it was the one that led back to the observation room.

"What are these for?"

"Those are for uploading information directly into the boy's mind," Nousou said as he pulled a pocky snack from his lab coat pocket.

"Uhh, come again?" Arakawa said.

Nousou took a bite out of the snack as he tried to think how to best explain it to Arakawa.

"Did you ever see that movie, the Matrix?"

"No."

"Oh. Well there's this part in it where the main hero has these plugs in his head, and he learns things like kung fu in a matter of seconds simply by having it uploaded into his mind from a computer. This is very much like that, though in reality, it's quite a bit slower."

Arakawa mulled this over.

"So...you're teaching him kung fu?" She asked with a shrug.

"No. Since he's spending his whole short childhood in a tank, he can't exactly go to school, so we have to educate him a different way."

"What all have you been teaching him?"

"All the important stuff, and then some. We already taught him all of the major world languages, mathematics, the laws of physics, thermodynamics, biology, psychology, engineering, chemistry, etcetera etcetera."

"Once he is awakened," Kakuzawa said, "he will have already surpassed his late brother intellectually."

Arakawa shuddered at the thought.

_I hope he'll at least have better manners than his late brother. _

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Later that night, over in the Nishi ward, Momo Kuroki walked out of a liquor store, carrying a large bottle, as she did on the same day for the past five years. Last year was a bottle of tequila. This year was vodka.

On the same day every year, she put herself through the same ritual; ride all day through Nagoya on a train, then head back to the Nishi Ward around nightfall, stop by a liquor store, purchase a bottle, and walk home. There were only two real variables in the routine; what type of booze to buy, and whether to walk the long way home, or the short one. This year, she went with a bottle of vodka and walked the long way back. No matter the route home, she always wracked her brain with the same question.

_Could I have done something different?_

It had been five years ago, when she and her younger sisters were living in Osaka. Her sisters were a pair of identical twins; Fuyuko and Natsuko. After their parents had died, Momo had raised her sisters herself for about two years, until their deaths. They were only eleven years old.

Momo had left her sisters at home to go pick up dinner. She had been gone only an hour. When she returned, she found that the front door was forced open. She had run into the house, gun drawn. When she got to the living room, she discovered her sisters there, stripped naked, beaten, bloodied, and drugged, with a vicious looking man standing above them. It was painfully obvious what had happened.

He had Fuyuko in a headlock. Natsuko was lying on the floor, unable to move because of the drugs. Momo had her gun aimed at the rapist, furious, ready to end him the moment she had a shot. Momo had begun to inch her way toward Natsuko. The pedophile had noticed her movements and shot the drugged child in the head.

Momo screamed at him in fury. She would have emptied her clip into him if he didn't have her remaining sister. He made his way to the nearest window and shot out the glass.

"I'll give you a choice Kuroki," He said. "Come after me, or save your last sister." He then shot Fuyuko through the throat and dropped her, bolting through the window. Momo moved down to her sister's side and applied pressure to her wound with her fingers. She used her free hand to call for an ambulance. While she waited for it, she held Fuyuko and tried to keep her from bleeding out.

"Please hold on Fu," She said. "Help will be here any minute."

The instant the ambulance pulled into the driveway, little Fuyuko died in her arms.

Momo eventually arrived at her house. She walked in, turned on the lights, and made her way to the living room. She sat the vodka on the table, and opened the photo album she had put there earlier that morning. She flipped through the pages with her left hand and kept her right hand on the bottle. The more she flipped through it, the heavier the tears flowed down her face.

"I'm sorry," She cried. "I'm so sorry. I should have taken you with me. I should never have left you alone."

After about half an hour, she closed the album and stood up, bottle in hand, and moved over to the photos hanging on the wall. Most of them were of her with her parents. Some of them included her sisters, and others were taken before they were born. She gave a weak smile when she spotted one of her at nine years old with her older friend Saori, sitting on the beach in Kamakura. That had been about twenty years ago.

"I sure could use a hug from you Saori," she said. She shifted her attention to one of her with her old SAT unit. In the picture, she and her comrades were sitting in a bar, celebrating their then-recent victory against a heavily armed cell of the Russian mafia.

She had missed her days in the Special Assault Team. They were the best years of her life. After her sisters death however, she had come to realize that she no longer possessed the emotional stability for the job and had retired from the organization. These days she worked as a bouncer at a night club in the Naka Ward.

_Machi,_ She thought, looking at some of the faces of her old unit. _Masuda. Uno. Tobe. Isa. Bando. Jin. Amari. I wonder how they're all doing. _

Momo moved to a picture of her parents, and popped the cork off of the bottle of vodka. She stared long and hard at her father in the photograph, and eventually made the same choice she had made on the same day the previous four years; not to go down the same path her father did. She marched into the kitchen and poured the vodka down the drain. She opened up the cabinet over the sink and placed the bottle with four other empty bottles of various alcoholic beverages, including the tequila bottle from last year.

"Another year, another bottle." She mumbled. "Some fucking hobby."

With that cheerful thought, she headed straight to her bedroom, collapsed on the bed, and cried herself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 2: Mental Chaos

**This chapter is where things start to get interesting.**

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

Chapter 2

Mental Chaos

It had been two days since Arakawa arrived in Nagoya. The Director was determined to get his Diclonius son mature enough to seek out Lucy.

_From what I've heard of Lucy, _She thought, _I don't envy the kid that job. _

While Kakuzawa and Nousou were focused on him. the Director had tasked Arakawa with continuing her research on the Diclonius vector virus. She was actually happy with this directive, as it allowed her to continue researching something she was already familiar with, and it was much nicer doing with it without the late Professor Kakuzawa treating her like garbage.

It was early in morning, with heavy rain pouring down outside, with thunder audible through the walls. She was looking over the data on the virus when an alarm sounded, followed by an intercom message from Nousou asking the Director to the Diclonius's chamber. As Kakuzawa passed by, he ordered Arakawa to drop what she was doing and to accompany him.

Once they reached the observation room, the Director demanded answers.

"What's going on, Nousou?"

"It's happening again," the doctor answered. "We upped the hormone dosage bit by bit like you asked. It was going well for a while, but now he's on the verge of waking up again."

"So drop it and increase the sedatives," Kakuzawa said.

"We did," Nousou said. "If we increase the sedatives any more it might kill him.

Arakawa moved up to the observation window and looked out at the tank. From here, there was no obvious indication that something was wrong.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Within the tank, the boy was convulsing, his heart rate spiking. His body was struggling to wake up.

For the young Diclonius's entire two year existence, he had been kept in a coma. For most of that time, his subconscious mind had been pumped full of incredibly large amounts of information. Then on that day, the day he experienced his first true moment of consciousness, all of that information, which ranged from mathematics, to multiple languages, to the most complex knowledge of mechanical engineering, all of it flooded into his conscious mind in one instant.

His eyes snapped open, and he screamed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

With no warning at all, the tank in the main chamber exploded into dozens of pieces. Water spread all over the floor, carrying shards of glass along with it. A small chunk of steel impacted the observation window at high speed, creating a small crack and causing Arakawa to yelp. Many of the scientists around bunched up around the window to get a look.

"Well," Nousou said, "it's the point of no return."

"Get a containment team up here," Kakuzawa said. "Non lethals only."

Arakawa looked out through the window, as did the rest of the scientists. For about two minutes, not much happened. What was left of the boy's tank lay in the center of the chamber in a crude pile of steel and glass.

Everyone looking into the chamber saw a small figure climb up from the wreckage, screaming with all of his energy. Soon after that, a loud shriek, too high pitched to be from any human voice, caused everyone present to cover their ears, and even larger cracks to form on the windows. After about five seconds, the shrieking abruptly ceased.

"What the hell was that?" Kakuzawa demanded.

"I think that was his vectors," Nousou said. "High frequency vibrations. Very high."

A security team burst into the observation room.

"Listen up," Kakuzawa said to the soldiers, " I want non lethal rounds only. That specimen in there is one of kind." He then directed his attention to Arakawa and Nousou. "You two, come with us."

"Us?" Arakawa said.

"You're going in there too, sir?" Nousou asked.

"Of course I am. Now let's get in there."

Kakuzawa led them all to the chamber door. He slid a key card into the slot on the side, and the door opened. The shriek of the vectors had stopped, but the boy's screams continued.

_Oh god!_ Arakawa thought. _I don't want to go in there with that...thing. _

They walked down the stairs into the chamber. As they approached, they saw that the wailing boy was wallowing around on the floor, surrounded by water, chunks of metal, and shards of broken glass, gripping his head. His screams rose and fell in volume and pitch. He still had tubes and wires sticking out of his body, as well as several cuts on him, likely caused by the glass shards around him. Small amounts of his blood mixed with the tank water.

As they approached, everyone saw several strange ripples in the water, shifting bits of glass and steel. Arakawa noticed that they were shaped like hands. They seemed to stretch out about a meter from the screaming Diclonius, but no further. Kakuzawa had the soldiers spread out around the boy. Despite being surrounded by many armed men, the horned child did not appear to even notice them.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The boy struggled with the images and sounds in his head. One after another, they invaded his awareness, overwhelming his mind, and drowning out his senses. He could not even feel the fresh cuts on his body. There were very brief instances where the noise would die down for a moment, and he could register his surroundings. This was quickly drowned out however, by the overabundance of information forced into him, and the memory of whatever his eyes saw, ears heard, or skin touched was instantly buried deep within his subconscious, lost among the mental maelstrom.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakuzawa's suffering son rolled onto his back, gripping his head tightly. His eyes were firmly shut and his screaming continued to echo in the chamber. Arakawa covered her ears.

"What do we do about this doctor?" Kakuzawa asked.

"I'm not sure," Nousou answered. "I did not expect this at all."

"Ugonjwa!" The boy exclaimed. This surprised everyone present. Though they didn't understand what he said, it seemed to be something coherent.

"Neve!" The boy said. He continued to speak. "Flungzeug! Gibraltar shisaw kyawwat!"

"Wait a minute," Kakuzawa said, "I think I understood that."

"Understood what?" Nousou asked.

"Flungzeug. It's German. It means airplane."

"Why would he say that?" Arakawa asked.

"Shum!" The boy continued. "Des globules rouges! Kazan!" The last word everyone recognized, as it was a Japanese word.

"Did he just say 'volcano?'" Nousou asked.

"He's just shouting gibberish," Arakawa said.

"Dinero! Hyeogmyeong! Ripa!"

"What do we do?" Arakawa asked. "Just wait for him to wear himself out?"

The boy stopped shouting, and he seemed to calm down, though he was breathing heavily and maintained his grip on his head. Arakawa was astonished when his eyes opened, and locked onto hers. They stared at each other for several seconds, and he spoke again in a language she didn't speak.

"Jeg har ondt!." He whimpered. "Jeg har ondt." Tears formed and fell from the child's eyes. "Giup toi!" Whatever he was saying, it inflicted a sense of sadness and pity in Arakawa. Despite the danger he posed to the human race, he was still a child, a suffering child.

The boy rolled back onto his stomach, and he digressed back into a screaming fit, shouting random gibberish in multiple languages. His vectors swept around the air and floor, sending water and glass everywhere. Everyone backed up a few steps, the guards keeping their weapons trained on him.

"Whatever's going on," Nousou said, "he's in some kind of pain."

_No shit! _Arakawa thought.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

For another moment, the noise died down again, and the boy opened his eyes. Something in the distance, past the wall of people caught his attention.

_Glass! _He thought. _Glass! Cracked glass! Broken glass!_ _Out! Noise! Away from Noise!_

The Diclonius fought with all of his might to keep his focus on the broken windows ahead of him. It took every ounce of willpower to keep the noise at bay. He got to his knees but stayed low, his mind focused on one thing.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Now what's he doing?" One of the guards asked.

The boy had stopped screaming and had gotten onto his hands and knees. His vectors had stopped scattering water everywhere, and slammed once in front of him. Hand-shaped dents were forming in the floor, as if he was pressing his vectors into it as hard as he could. Arakawa looked at his face. He wore and expression of intense concentration, and this time, he was not looking at her, but past her. She followed his gaze and looked behind her.

_The window? Oh…"_

Unable to voice her warning in time, a gust of air threw her off balance. The Diclonius had launched himself past her with his vectors, heading for the window at incredible speed. His invisible limbs impacted the floor with great force.

"Stop him!" Kakuzawa exclaimed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The boy smashed his way through the window with his vectors. The observing scientists scattered and ran for cover. Whatever sense of victory he felt at this was short lived, as he felt the noise trying to force its way back in. He screamed in defiance, determined to keep it at bay. His vectors flailed around the room, smashing computers and chairs, and denting the metal walls and floors. The scientists cowered in terror.

_Not far enough!_ He thought. _Have to get further! Further away!_

He looked around and spotted a door. He thrust his vectors toward it and smashed it. He carried himself through the opening with his vectors and kept going, pulling his way through a hallway. On impulse he turned several corners, and felt a positive emotion when he spotted another glass window. This time, he could see something more promising through it.

_Clouds? Sky? Outside! Open! _

He charged for the window. What he failed to realize before doing this was that he was four stories off of the ground. He smashed through the glass and plummeted fast, screaming. On instinct, he wrapped his vectors around himself, which protected him when he crashed into the open dumpster below, scaring the life out of a pair of unsuspecting garbage men.

Unfortunately, his fall caused a lapse in focus, and the endless sea of information once again flooded his awareness, burying his newly formed memories into the back of his mind.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Director Kakuzawa shoved through the guards and looked down through the hole in the window. He saw a pair of garbage men standing out in the rain next to the dumpster below, muttering among themselves.

_This cannot be happening!_

The Director clenched his fist, trying hard to suppress his anger. After two long years of expensive research, The key to his family's return to glory had just fallen to his death into a dumpster. He could not help but feel insulted at this cruel twist of fate.

He was on the verge of pulling out his gun and shooting everyone around him in a fit of rage when suddenly, the shriek of his son's vectors sounded through the rain, shattering many of the building's windows. He and everyone around him covered their ears, as did the garbage men below.

_He's alive!_

Bags of trash shot out of the dumpster, causing the two garbage men to run in terror.

Kakuzawa saw his son climb out of the dumpster, screaming again in various tongues. His vectors pulled him along.

"Get down there and subdue him," The director demanded. "I want him alive and…"

The little Diclonius suddenly rocketed through the air, and landed on his vectors. He headed east into the stormy streets of Nagoya. Several cars were abruptly stopped as his telekinetic arms smashed into their hoods. In the haze of the rain and fog, he was quickly out of sight.


	4. Chapter 3: Storm

Chapter 3

Storm

Momo Kuroki had just finished her shift at the nightclub. She opened her umbrella as she walked out the door and headed into the heavy rain. A cold wind blew hard, almost snatching her umbrella, but she had a tight grip and did not let go. She regained her composure, and turned south toward the train station.

Luckily, not as many people would walk around in such severe weather like they would in the sun, so navigating the sidewalks wasn't too difficult, and even without an umbrella, the rain never bothered her. She pulled out a pair of headphones from her fanny pack and worked them into her iPod. She placed the headphones on her head and pressed shuffle.

The iPod played Big City Lover, one of many DJ Krush songs she had on the iPod. She bobbed her head to the tune as she walked.

"Big city lover," She said in a low volume, singing along with the music. "I'll take a chance on you."

She reached a street crossing right as the light changed to walk. She crossed the street, passing fellow pedestrians, unsuspecting of the sudden turn her day was about to take.

"Big city lover," she sang, "I think I like your groove. Big city lover. Just keep that attitude."

She barely got into the second verse when she heard a strange noise. It was faint at first, but it increased in volume. Her footsteps slowed and then stopped as she pulled up her iPod.

"What the heck?" She said. "Is this thing on the fritz?" She gave it a shake, and the iPod changed songs. She cursed, as she had forgotten the shake and shuffle mode was on, but then realized that the noise was coming from somewhere else. She removed her headphones and listened closely.

She heard the sound clearly this time, though it was still a distance away. It was quite shrill, like a scream. Many other pedestrians had heard it too.

Momo turned to face west, the direction the sound originated. She could hear it, but couldn't see anything except people, rain, and fog. More and more people were hearing it, and started facing the same direction as she was.

_This is like the start of some Kaiju movie, _She thought

After a moment, the source of the noise came into view. Whatever it was, it was too small to be a Kaiju, not that she believed that they were real.

Something suddenly turned a corner and headed in her general direction. She couldn't make out what it was through the rain, but it seemed to be hovering low over the ground. It dipped lower, and she heard an abrasive crunching noise, like metal being crushed. A car's headlight suddenly flashed out, and horns blared.

The thing rose up above the street and screamed again. As it passed over, the hoods and rooftops of more cars seemed to deform near it. A nearby streetlight suddenly bent like a spoon, and startled pedestrians jumped away from the street when a car's window shattered for no apparent reason at all. The floating thing continued to rise and fall above the streets, and wavered left and right.

As the thing approached her, its screaming became incredibly loud. She held her ears as it passed overhead, caving in the roof of a nearby sedan as it went. Something impacted the sidewalk near her, just a few feet away, startling her, but she didn't see what it was. Whatever it was, it snapped her into high alert, reawakening her old soldier instincts, filling her with a desire to put an end to the destruction it was causing. She closed her umbrella and broke into a run, pursuing the source of commotion.

She ran east, trying to keep pace with the floating screamer. It damaged anything in its path, though as far as she could tell, it had not hurt anyone...yet. Whether it was doing this intentionally, or if it was just dumb luck, she could not say. For a moment, the flying thing stopped at an intersection, though it stayed in the air, about a meter off of the ground. Momo had started to gain some ground on it, but then something bizarre happened.

A loud, high pitched shriek tore through the storm, far louder than the screams she heard so far. Whatever it was, it did not sound like the voice of any living creature. To Momo, it was as if a banshee was screaming into a microphone with some heavy feedback issues. She stopped running, dropped her umbrella and held her ears, as did everyone else nearby. The glass windows of nearby cars and buildings shattered.

"Dammit!" Momo screamed, barely able to hear her own voice through the din.

The noise ceased, and Momo looked back up at the floating creature. She still could not see it clearly through the stormy haze, though whatever it was, it had a humanoid silhouette. No one else was looking up at it, as they were too startled and disoriented to identify where the noise had come from. They did not even have time to do that, as the screamer continued its rampage southward. Momo resumed her pursuit.

She chased it for several more blocks, and then it made another abrupt turn, this time heading into Yaba Park. She followed it, and soon saw it head into a cluster of tall trees, one of which it crashed into rather unceremoniously. She ran toward it, and saw it fall out of the branches down to the ground. She slowed to a walk and grabbed a rock as she got nearer, holding it high and at the ready. When she finally found her target, she was astonished at what it turned out to be, causing her to drop the rock.

"It's a...a...," she stammered, "it's just...a little boy."

She stared at the quivering child, unsure of what to make of the situation. The longer she looked at him, the more disturbed she became.

The child was curled up on his knees and elbows, face down on the ground gripping his head. He was completely naked, and a large number of extruded from his entire body. He was bleeding as well from multiple lacerations. He let out another scream, though this time she thought she heard something coherent.

"Smetilla!" The boy screamed. "Pleaca de aici!"

_What? _Momo thought.

She looked around the area. No one else was there. She couldn't tell if he was screaming at her, or talking to himself.

Then the boy sat up and screamed at the sky.

"UMALIS KA!"

An unseen force suddenly struck Momo in the stomach, knocking her backward, screaming. She landed in the mud on her back, the momentum causing her to roll backward in a sort of reverse summersault onto her chest. She pulled her face out of the wet earth and stared at the child. She wheezed to get back the breath that had just been knocked out of her.

_What the fuck just hit me?!_

She could tell that whatever the child used to hit her was still there. The invisible force seemed to be moving around the boy randomly, displacing the falling rain and impacting the ground around him. Mud and water were flung everywhere. She slowly pulled herself up out of the mud and got to her feet. Carefully, she walked forward toward him, keeping most of her attention on the force he seemed to be exerting.

_Whatever that is, _She thought, _It doesn't seem to venture very far from him. _

She got near the edge of his power's apparent range. When it again impacted the ground in front of her, she spotted the impression it left in the ground.

_Is that a handprint? Some kind of...ghost hands? Or something? _

Suddenly, the boy stopped screaming, and the force disappeared. He slouched down in exhaustion, and let go of his head. He gasped for air, and scanned his surroundings. To Momo, it looked as if he had just snapped out of some trance. When he turned to face her, she spotted something she did not notice before.

_What are those things sticking out of his head? _

She slowly approached him again, wary of the ghostly force.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The noise had abated again, though it still lingered on the edges of the Diclonius's mind, ready to return. He tried to focus on things around him, but what he saw just added to his confusion. He looked around and saw things. He saw grass and trees. He felt water on his skin, pouring from up above. There was a pleasant smell in the air. He turned and saw...someone approaching him.

A sudden flash of lightning, and the subsequent crash of thunder startled him, ruining his concentration, and his mind was buried in the noise again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When the thunder crashed, the little boy reverted to his hysterical state. Momo tried to move away from him, but was sent flying again, this time getting hit in the sternum. She landed face down, and pulled herself up, spitting out a chunk of mud.

"What. The. FUCK?!" She yelled.

The boy screamed, and began hovering again. Momo saw the handprints beneath him, and realized that he was using his ghost hands like stilts to move around fast.

_Crap! He's gonna run for it again!_

Determined to finish this here before anyone got hurt, Momo picked up a bunch of rocks and threw them toward the child. She had no intention of hitting him, she merely wanted to get his attention, which she got when she accidentally hit him in the shoulder.

_Aw, shit!_

This only made the situation worse. The boy fell down into the mud, and gripped his shoulder. His phantom limbs started smashing the ground again, and he resumed his screaming fit, though, his cries were a bit deeper than before, almost guttural. He turned to face her direction. The look in his eyes was primal and aggressive.

"That was a bad idea," Momo groaned.

The boy stood and ran at her. She quickly and widely sidestepped him and his power, narrowly avoiding getting hit again. She felt the air and rain get swatted aside right in front of her face.

_Close one!_

The boy didn't even seem to noticed that she had moved. He was indeed angry, but he apparently didn't know what he was angry at. He didn't know who threw the rock at him, he just knew the direction it had come from. He was directing his powers to the area in front of him.

Momo saw this as an opportunity and made her way behind him. She charged at him, determined to grab him. Unfortunately, the boy stopped moving, and his powers changed direction right as Momo got within their range. She was swatted aside again. The boy felt the impact and turned to face her direction again. She tried to sit up, but the enraged child pressed his attack and hit her with greater force. She flew backwards into the trunk of a tree.

Momo did not even notice that his previous attack had caused her iPod to slip from her pocket. It landed on the grass several meters in front of her, the impact triggering the shake and shuffle feature again.

Momo sat against the tree trunk, disoriented. She could taste her own blood in her mouth. The boy was running toward her, and at the speed he was approaching, there was no way she could do anything in time.

"Oh, hell," She said. "This is it!" She brought up her hands in a desperate attempt to fend the boy off.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Diclonius was enraged. The stinging pain in his arm coupled with the unending noise in his mind awakened something in him, something angry. Desperate to stop all of it, he lashed out at anything and everything. When he felt his vectors make an impact, he would move in that direction and redirect them to attack again.

He ran forward after the latest impact. He was determined to put an end to all of the noise and pain, and he felt he was close. So very close.

Then he stopped when something new entered his mind. It was a new sound, a sound he liked. It was a sound with rhythm. Rhythm, and a beat. The rhythm and beat pervaded his mind, seemingly pushing back the chaos that had caused him such pain, as well as the angry presence within him. Soon, the rhythm and beat were joined by another sound. It was a voice, a very beautiful voice.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The rampaging child was nearly on top of her when he abruptly stopped in his tracks. The look in his eyes changed from anger to...something else. He fell to his knees.

Momo heard something amidst the heavy rain. It was a song, a song she knew. The child in front of her turned and crawled toward the source of the music. She looked past him and saw her iPod lying in the grass, its screen lit up.

"Little broken hearts of the night," The little blue machine sang, "slowly picking up their knives, on their way to the fight. Tonight they want revenge."

The child stopped in front of the iPod and stared down at it, engrossed in the melody it played. Momo slowly pulled herself up, sore from being thrown into the tree. She slowly walked toward the boy again.

"With the weapons in their hands," the iPod continued, "and their eyes closed as they stand, can they end it all tonight, so easily?"

Momo knelt down next to the child. He continued to stare at the iPod. She cautiously touched the boy's shoulder, but he did not respond. She placed her hand on his back. He did not even flinch. She took a closer look at the objects protruding from his head.

_What are these? Some kind of horns?_

"Hello?" She said. She waved her hand in front of his face, snapped her fingers next to his ear. Then she took an opportunity to confirm something. She lightly pressed her finger onto the tip of his right head protrusion. She probed at it with her thumb and forefinger, though she was careful not to apply too much pressure to it, as she was not sure how sensitive they were. He moaned lightly, but his attention remained on the music.

_Yep, _She thought. _Those seem to be horns. They're really sticking out of his skull._

"Huh."

Momo looked back down at her iPod.

"When the beautiful awake," it continued, "see the sadness in their eyes, will they want to find a way, to make it all right, to make it all right?

"Norah Jones," Momo said, "You saved my ass."

Momo removed her jacket and placed it over the horned child. She carefully picked up the iPod. The boy followed it. When she moved it away from him, he reached out for it. Rather than take it away, Momo placed it in his hands. He smiled when he grabbed it, and held it close to his ear.

_Well at least he's calm now._ Momo pulled out her cell phone and called an ambulance, directing it to the park's southern edge.

With the boy's attention focused on the music, Momo scooped him up in her arms, and made her way to where the ambulance would be parking.

_I hope it gets here faster than it did for Fuyuko. _


	5. Chapter 4: Rival Families

Chapter 4

Rival Families

Nousou and a team of guards from the lab had followed the trail of destruction left by the Diclonius. While there had been many broken windows and damaged cars, nobody seemed to be seriously injured or killed. When asked by Nousou, most of the witnesses were completely baffled about what had happened. The rain had been too heavy for anyone to see it. Everyone just assumed that the storm had gotten really intense. Others claimed it was a UFO or something else preposterous.

_Guess we got lucky with the weather, _Nousou thought.

It took about an hour for Nousou to reach the end of the trail; Yaba park. By the time he got there however, his favorite research project was long gone. What was strange was that the trail simply stopped. There was no sign of what happened to the Diclonius, or even which direction he may have gone.

The eccentric doctor held an umbrella in one hand, and pulled a pocky snack out of his pocket with the other. He stood amidst a cluster of trees off of the park's main paths. The ground here had been heavily disturbed. Grass had been uprooted, and impact indentations dotted the mud, many of which were shaped like hands. A lot of damage had been focused in that one particular area.

"Something happened here," Nousou said. "Maybe he got into some kind of struggle. But with whom?" He was surprised that there was no corpse around. One would think that anyone stupid enough, or at least ignorant enough to take on a berserk Diclonius would be killed in no time.

He bit into the pocky snack with discomfort. He was not looking forward to explaining to his boss that he lost the boy's trail.

"Just how did I mess this up?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The ambulance had taken Momo and the Diclonius to the West Tokai General hospital. When they arrived, she warned to the doctors not to take the iPod away from the child, since it was the only thing keeping him calm. Even if she had not mentioned it, she doubted that they could get it away from him anyway. He had a very firm grip on the thing.

The doctors allowed Momo to take a shower and leant her a change of clothes. She had been a big mess when she arrived. After she got all cleaned up, she sat in the lounge area, waiting to talk to a doctor. One eventually showed up. His name tag read Doctor Fujio Kobayashi.

"Ms. Kuroki," Doctor Kobayashi said. "You're the one who brought in that boy with the...wires?"

"That's right," Momo said. "Where is he now?"

"He's in surgery," Kobayashi said. "Don't' worry, it's not serious. We're just removing all of those cords from his body."

"You're a doctor," Momo said. "Can you think of any reason for all of those tubes?"

"Well we've identified a feeding tube and a catheter, but we're not sure about the rest of them."

"That kid was in agony when I found him. Whatever they were for, it was not for anything good."

"If the story you gave the nurses is true, then I'm inclined to concur."

The story she told the nurses was true, although she had left out a few key details, mainly the ones pertaining to his strange ghost hands that had knocked her around the park. She did not have any idea what that was, and she had no reason to think the doctors would get it either.

_Just have to make sure they don't take away that iPod, or they may find out for themselves._

"How's he doing?" Momo asked.

"Surprisingly well. They tried sedating him for the surgery, but he's not responding to the sedatives for some reason. It turns out that he doesn't need them though. He's completely engrossed with your iPod. He doesn't even seem to be aware of anyone around him."

"Hmmm."

"One other question," Kobayashi said. "Those horns on his head. Do you have any explanation for those."

Momo shrugged. "Not a clue. I was hoping you'd tell me."

"I've never seen anything like them before. It's probably nothing though. Minor skull mutation perhaps."

"Perhaps," Momo said distantly. "Can I see him when the surgery's done?"

"Absolutely."

"Also, Doctor. Do you have any iPod chargers around here?"

The surgery had taken about two hours. Once it was done, Kobayashi had directed Momo to room 303. She headed there immediately. When she got there, she was surprised at how much different the child looked to her. The hospital staff had cleaned him up well.

The boy was sitting up in the bed, still holding the iPod with both hands. The wires were all gone, and there was very little sign that they had ever been there. The fresh lacerations on his body were also healed. His hair was a brilliant poppy red, and his eyes were an equally striking but somewhat darker shade of red. He had been dressed in a hospital gown, something Momo was grateful for. He appeared much more innocent to her than in the park.

_He's actually quite adorable like this. _

She grabbed a chair and sat next to him. Same as before, the boy did not seem to be aware of her presence. The iPod was playing Heart by Jenka. Momo leaned over to look at the iPod's screen. The battery only had a three percent charge left. She found an outlet and plugged in the charger that the hospital loaned her. She plugged the business end of the charger into the iPod, and the battery icon turned green.

"Close one," She whispered.

After averting a potential disaster, Momo pulled up a set of headphones also loaned to her by the hospital. She would have used her old ones had they not been crushed in the park during the struggle. She plugged them in and quickly placed them onto the boy's ears before he could react. He seemed satisfied.

The former SAT officer sat back down and observed the child for a few minutes, pondering what to do about this unexpected situation.

_This kid is clearly not normal. I get the sense that that's why there were wires shoved into him in the first place. I'm guessing that he was born with the horns, but what about those freaky phantom limbs? Did those come with the horns, or were those because of the wires? Shit, for all I know he could be channeling ghosts or something._

When she relaxed, her body completely registered the pain of her injuries. The middle of her chest where he first struck her, and her back, from when she crashed into the tree, were especially painful. Momo had no doubt that she would be covered in bruises by morning.

_Those hands are definitely dangerous, or the kid controlling them is. Good grief, I hate where this line of thinking is going, but what do I do about him? He could have seriously hurt someone. Hell, he nearly killed me. But was that really his fault? He was obviously a victim of...something terrible. Science experiment, maybe? I can't imagine why else someone would shove him full of wires? Either way, I get the feeling that whoever did this will be looking for him. _

She made up her mind and stood up, moving to the far side of the room and pulled out her cellphone. She called her uncle.

"Uncle Hisoka?," she said. "Hey, it's Momo."

"Hi, Momo," the voice on the phone said. "Are you calling to say hi, or do you need a favor?"

"It's me, Uncle. What do you think?"

"What can I do for you?"

She explained the whole situation to her uncle, this time including the details she omitted for the doctors. She even sent him a picture of the boy she took before the doctors removed his tubes.

"Wow," Hisoka said. "I have to say, I did not expect anything like this when I got up this morning."

"Neither did I," Momo said. "I'm with the kid right now. I need you to come down here soon."

"What? Why?"

"This poor kid wasn't born with wires coming out of him Uncle. Somebody did this to him, and my gut tells me that whomever is responsible is gonna be looking for him. When they find him, I'm gonna need all your law knowhow to back me up."

"Back you up?"

"Yeah. I'm staying here with the kid. Whoever did this will track him down soon, and when they show, I'll be here to stand in their way."

"You're a hell of a fighter, Momo," Hisoka said, "But if they have a legal claim to the child, you can't solve this with force."

"I know that. That's why I called you. I need you here to find a loophole or whatever you call it. I am not letting them get a hold of this kid one way or another."

"Fine. I'll get down there as soon as I can."

"Good." Momo hung up and dialed another number.

"Hey, Saburo? It's Momo. Can you do me a favor? I need you to stop by my place and grab a few things for me."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakuzawa sat quietly in his office, reviewing the security footage of the previous day. It had been a day since his Diclonius son had broken free from the aging tank, escaped into the city, and vanished. Since then, he had put out feelers to find him but so far nothing came up. He had been having a difficult time keeping his temper in check, as he had almost shot Nousou the last time he saw him.

He had called in Arakawa to inquire on her progress regarding the virus and it's potential vaccine. Her progress was slow on both counts, which only added to the director's frustration. He was dangerously close to taking his anger out on her when his phone rang. It was a call from one of his agents. He answered it and put it on speaker.

"Yes?"

"I think I found the kid you're looking for," the man said. "A nurse at West Tokai hospital says that a boy with horns was brought there yesterday and is still there."

"Excellent," he said. "Good work." He ended the call.

"That's good news," Arakawa said.

"Indeed it is."

Forty five minutes later, Kakuzawa's limo pulled up to the hospital, and he, Nousou, and Arakawa stepped out of it. When they entered, a nurse directed them to Dr. Kobayashi, who was treating the Diclonius. The doctor led them toward room 303.

"How did the child get here?" Nousou asked.

"Someone found him and brought him in," Kobayashi said. Kakuzawa could tell from the doctor's tone that he was not pleased that they had arrived.

"Brought him in?" Nousou asked. He was surprised that some one could have just 'brought him in,' given the unstable mental state the subject was in. Still, he had to be careful with what questions he asked. "Who...brought him?"

"She's still in with the patient now," Kobayashi said. "She hasn't left his side much since they arrived. If you like, you can ask her yourself."

_Damn it,_ Kakuzawa thought. _Another witness. I'll have to deal with her, whoever it is._

Kakuzawa and his scientist entourage opened the door to room 303. When he saw the woman who was with his son however, he realized that this was a witness he was not going to be able to silence very easily.

_Oh no! Not her! Not one of them! _

The woman looked up at them, and stood up from her chair. She stood at five feet, three inches tall. Her hair was short, shaggy, and jet black. Her eyes were also black, so much so, it was difficult to distinguish her pupils from her irises. She wore red jeans, black sneakers, and a black T-shirt with a picture of some obscure yet menacing looking Pokemon on it. She walked toward them and stopped right in front of the Director. Even though he towered over her, she looked up at him with confidence. She put a finger to her lips, as if thinking hard about something.

"Have we met before?" She asked him. "You look kind of familiar."

"We never have," Kakuzawa said, "but I know who you are, Kuroki."

Disdain seeped from his voice when he said her name. The woman picked up on it and quickly realized who he was.

"Kakuzawa," She said. Her eyes stared into his with sudden intensity, likely trying to intimidate him. "Well this just figures."

The Kuroki were an influential family in Japan, one of the few families who could rival Kakuzawa's. Centuries ago, they were a clan of samurai, but with the Meiji restoration, most of the samurai clans fell out of power. Somehow, the Kuroki managed to hold on to a little of their political clout, and gradually gathered more of it as they adapted to the changing times. Rumor also had it that even though they discarded their swords long ago, they still trained their children in martial arts, though these rumors were still unconfirmed. Something in Kakuzawa's gut told him that the rumors were likely true. Every member of the family he had ever met always had an annoying sense of warrior pride.

As for the woman in front of him, she and the director have never spoken before, though he had seen her in person once at a social event almost ten years ago. Most of what he knew of her was by her reputation in the Special Assault Team. Her unit's most notable achievement was the killing of several leading members of a Russian mafia cell in Osaka. She was the type of soldier who had no fear of conflict, no matter who it was against. Judging from her well toned arms, she had the strength to back up her mettle.

"I see you found my missing subject," Kakuzawa said.

"Subject?" Kuroki said. "That's what you call him? What the hell have you done to him?"

"I'm afraid that's not your concern."

"Oh yes, it is. When I see that a little kid has been tortured, I make it my concern."

"You believe this boy to be human?" Arakawa asked. Kuroki shifted her gaze to the younger scientist.

"I don't believe that he's normal," Momo said, "But whether or not something is normal, or even human doesn't give you the right to torture it...him."

"On the contrary," Kakuzawa said, "I've been granted every right in regards to that boy and his..." He trailed off. He almost revealed that there were more Diclonius than just the boy. He had worked far too hard for many years to keep them a secret from certain elements in the government, especially this woman's family.

"His what?" Momo asked, looking back up into his face

"As I said before," the chief said, "It's not your concern." Momo's eyes narrowed with increasing suspicion, then shifted between Nousou and Arakawa.

"I'm taking the child back," Kakuzawa continued, "and there's nothing that a washed up grunt like you can do to stop me."

"There's something I can do," a voice said from behind them. They all turned to see one of Kakuzawa's greatest political rivals standing in the doorway. He was a tall handsome man in his mid fifties, wearing a dark brown suit.

"Minister Kuroki," Kakuzawa said. "What are you doing here?"

"My niece here called me," Hisoka Kuroki said. "I had actually been here a while, I just had to step out to use the restroom."

"I'll let you take it from here, Uncle," Momo said. With that, she returned to the Diclonius's side.

"You know, it's funny," Hisoka said. "I've suspected that you were hiding something for a long time now Kakuzawa. You and the half of the cabinet you're in bed with."

"Minister..." Kakuzawa began, but Hisoka held up his hand.

"Don't bother," He said. "All you need to do here is listen to me. I've taken the chance to look at the child myself, and Momo, as well as Dr. Kobayashi, have already explained everything they know to me. I don't know what you did to him, but it's obvious that it was in violation of many human rights. I've already brought this to the attention of the other ministers, the ones you've hidden this from. I have also requested a hearing to discuss this matter. You can expect a call regarding it soon."

Kakuzawa let this information sink in. Normally, he would already have resolved this with a bit of persuasion or force, but against Hisoka Kuroki, such attempts would be completely useless. While his anger was bubbling just beneath the surface, he was careful to keep an air of civility. In the end, he resolved to solve this at the cabinet hearing, where some of his political allies would be backing him up.

"Very well then," Kakuzawa said. He took another look at his Diclonius son, sitting in the bed just a few meters away, and turned to leave. "Nousou. Arakawa. Let's go."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After Kakuzawa and his two underlings left, Hisoka moved over to Momo and the child, who was still focused on the little blue iPod.

"How long did you say he's been glued to that thing?" Hisoka asked.

"Since the park," Momo said. "Doctors have had to spoon feed him. Even when he's chewing, he doesn't seem to notice anything around him. He hasn't even fallen asleep."

"Can't say I've heard of anything like this," Hisoka said.

"They really messed him up. You can't let that old scrotum take him back."

"I'll do everything in my power to help him, but I can't guarantee that we'll win this. Kakuzawa is a powerful man, and he's nothing if not ruthless."

"All the more reason I'm staying here. It's a good thing I saved up all those sick days at the club."

"By the way, when I first got here, I thought I saw Saburo leaving."

"Yeah, I asked him to bring me some things from home. Change of clothes and what not."

Hisoka shot her a dubious look. "Is that all?"

Momo sighed and pulled a pistol out from behind her back. It was the custom Grand Power K100 she kept from her SAT days. Not exactly standard issue, but then using anything standard was rare for a Kuroki.

"This too," she said.

"Please don't tell me," Hisoka said, "that you've got the Soupmaker hidden around here somewhere too."

"Of course not," Momo exclaimed. "Do I come across as crazy to you Uncle?"

"Let's just say that I think you really miss your days in the Special Assault Team."

Momo showed a sly grin. "Guilty as charged."

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

**In the next chapter, we will check back in on the situation in Kamakura**


	6. Chapter 5: Emotional Conflict

Chapter 5

Emotional Conflict

It had been over a week since Nyu had returned. Everyone had been overjoyed, especially Kouta. She stayed in bed healing from her wounds for two days. After that, she was back on her feet and back to her old self. Kouta was amazed at how fast her injuries had healed, even more so that there did not seem to be any scars. It was as if she had not been injured at all.

Kouta had gotten up that morning fairly late. Being the sleepyhead that he was, Yuka had to kick him in to high gear herself, or at least first gear. He sluggishly walked downstairs and stopped in the hall when he spotted Nyu cleaning the grandfather clock she had so miraculously repaired all on her own. The longer he stared at her, the more he thought of that night on the stone steps.

"You have to understand," She had told him. "I was born to put an end to human life."

_How can that be true? _Kouta thought, looking at the innocent girl cleaning the clock. He thought back to when he first met her those eight long years ago. How she loved the music box he carried, and how intrigued he was with her horns.

_A shame those horns are gone now._

He thought about the time he spent with her, how close they had become. Then he remembered a question that she asked him, a question he wish that he had answered truthfully.

"Is your cousin a boy?" She had asked. "Or is it a girl?"

_If I had told her the truth then, how different would things have been?_

"No," he whispered through gritted teeth. A moment of anger entered his thoughts.

_I know I lied, and I wish I could go back and change my answer, but did that lie deserve that severe of a punishment? Kanae and my father certainly did not deserve what happened to them._

"All this time," she had said, trying to fight back her tears, "I've wanted to tell you how sorry I was. I've fought armies just for that. But now, there's nothing I can say that's good enough."

Kouta's anger quickly abated.

_She murdered my family. So why do I still love her? _

A tear formed in the corner of Kouta's eye. He wiped it away before it could fall. Though he knew he could not forgive her for it, he knew her apology to be sincere. He also could not deny that her life had been nothing but a travesty. Even with that in mind though, she had killed many other people than just his family.

He wanted to understand his own feelings, and settle the emotional conflict within himself once and for all. He wanted to understand the girl in front of him. He wanted to love her, to be with her. At the same time, he did not know if he could.

"What are you staring at, Kouta?" Yuka said, sneaking up behind him, jolting him out of his daze. He was getting quick with his response time to moments like these.

"Oh, uh..." He stammered. "I..I just can't figure out how she fixed that thing." Nyu heard them talking and looked over. A big smile formed on her face.

"Nyu!" She exclaimed.

Kouta smiled back at her. There was one truth he was certain of; he loved her, but he could not act on his feelings yet, not until he talked to her at least one more time. Not the innocent Nyu in front of him, but the girl he played with all those years ago. The one who killed his family, and the one he kissed on those steps.

_I need to see you again._ _There are still some things I need to know. I need to understand who and what you truly are. I need to know the things that you have been through. Only then will I know for sure. _

"Come on," Yuka snapped. "It's time for some breakfast. After that we need to double down on cleaning this place."

"What?" Kouta asked. "What's got you so high strung?"

"I've got a friend coming over tomorrow, and I want this place to be as presentable as it can be. Now come on, let's get to it."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Meanwhile...

Back in Nagoya, things were going slower than Momo had hoped. Hisoka was doing the best he could with the Cabinet hearing regarding the horned child sitting in the bed next to her. A child who had somehow stayed awake for four days straight listening to every song on her iPod.

_Good God, _She thought, _Did they induce insomnia into this poor kid too? _

She had spent nearly five days in the hospital guarding the child. The only time she left was to present her account of the incident at Yaba park at the Cabinet hearing. In that time, two of her relatives, Chie and Haruaki, guarded the boy in her place. She relieved them when she returned.

She had been playing a game on her 3DS when Hisoka entered the room and announced that the hearing was over. She shut the game off without even saving her progress.

"Well...?" She asked.

"It wasn't easy," Hisoka said, "but I managed to work out a compromise."

Momo did not like the sound of that. "Compromise?"

"Don't worry," her uncle said. "Kakuzawa won't be getting him back, at least not now. But there are some conditions."

"What conditions?"

"I'll get to the point. You are going to have to take care of the boy yourself."

"What? Me?"

"Yes. Since you were the one who calmed him down, you will have to be the one to look after him."

Momo stood there stunned for a solid minute. "But I..."

"There's more. I've got some people getting you some information on this boy and his...species."

"Species?"

"Yes. It turns out there are others like him, but the details are a little sparse right now. Like I said, I've got people working on it. Also, as you take care of him, you are to give weekly reports on his progress. You are to keep an eye on him at all times."

"At all times?" Momo snapped. "I work at a nightclub. I can't just bring him with me to a place like that every night."

"I know," Hisoka said. "I've worked around that. Keeping an eye on this boy is going to be your new job."

"Huh?"

"You heard me." Hisoka said. "You are now once again an employee of the Japanese government. With this, you won't need the job at the night club. You'll be getting payed your old SAT salary for doing this."

It took the younger Kuroki a moment to formulate a response.

"New job? So essentially my job is to be godmother for a kid who looks like he crawled out of a horror novel?"

"Yes. I know this is not what you were going for, but it was the best I could do. Kakuzawa's very persuasive and, not to brag here, but if it had been anyone else handling this, he would have won it hands down. It was either this, or hand the boy over."

Momo looked at the boy, and clenched her fists. Hisoka noticed this and immediately understood what was really bothering her.

"You're still torn up about Fuyuko and Natsuko aren't you?" Momo turned to look at her uncle.

"Of course I am," she said through gritted teeth. "Wouldn't you be? I failed them. I couldn't save even one of them. Do you really think I'm qualified to look after this little guy?"

"What happened was just bad luck," Hisoka said. "You had no way to know that would happen. None of us did."

"Tell that to Grandma," Momo said. "She reminds me every time I see her."

Momo turned back to the boy and leaned on the foot end of his bed. She stared at him silently for several long minutes. Her uncle used this time to pick his next words carefully.

"Okay," Hisoka said. "If you truly believe that their deaths were your failure, then I guess I can't change your mind about that. With that in mind, maybe you should view this assignment as an opportunity."

Momo turned to face him. "For what?"

"Redemption?"

Momo considered this for several more minutes, staring hard at the little horned boy who was unaware of the people standing right in front of him. She remembered how he had been screaming in the rain, naked and scared. She remembered how he had swatted her around in the mud, clutching his head as if in unbearable pain.

_He looks so tranquil now. Cute, even. What did they do to him? Did he suffer as much as my sisters did on the day they died? I can only imagine how frightened they were, and how frightened this boy must have been too. _

Momo stepped away from the bed and dialed a number on her phone.

"Hey, boss," She said. "Listen, I hate to do this on short notice, but I'm gonna have to quit."

Hisoka smiled. Momo yanked the phone away from her ear. An angry voice screamed from the tiny machine.

"Please quit shouting," Momo pleaded. "I didn't want to have to do this, but something came up. Call it a family emergency." Hisoka waited patiently for Momo to finish. "I can't get into it, you wouldn't understand. I'm sorry, but that's the way it goes. Hey, all the sailor talk in the world won't change my mind, so...Fine!"

She hung up.

"Thank you, Momo."

"No, thank you uncle. You really came through." Momo gave Hisoka a big hug.

"So what will you do about this?" Hisoka indicated the boy and his iPod obsession.

"I'll figure it out," Momo said. "For today at least, I'll keep him here. Could you call Saburo and ask him to bring over some kid's clothes? I should still have some old ones at my place."

"Of course," Hisoka said.

Momo looked at the horns on the boy's head.

"Tell him to bring a hat too. I have several."

"Any particular kind?"

"Whichever one is the least...feminine."

"Alright then. I'll get on that." Hisoka turned to leave. "Good luck Momo."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Later that evening, Momo had decided that she needed to get the boy out of here as soon as possible, but as things were, it did not appear that that would happen very soon. She needed to get his attention away from the iPod.

"Time for a bold move," She said. She waited for the current song to end, and then made her move. She put her right hand on the gun in the back of her pants, and used the left to reach over and hit the pause button on the iPod. For a few seconds, the boy just sat there, then he reacted, but not in any way that she had feared.

The child looked up, staring into space with his red eyes wide open.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The music stopped, thought the song still floated in his mind, the little Diclonius could feel it slowly fading. Much to his own surprise, the endless sea of information that had plagued his mind intermingled with the lyrics of the songs he had been listening to for the last five days. The songs helped his consciousness quiet the noise and make sense of it.

It did not take long for his exhaustion to catch up with him. His eyes closed, and he fell backward. The information and music continued to mingle in his subconscious, further burying any memories he had formed over the last few days. As he slept, the mental mixture caused his brain to reset itself, and he quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Momo called in Dr. Kobayashi when the little boy abruptly passed out. He checked his heartbeat and blood pressure. He pulled open an eyelid and checked pupil dilation with his little flashlight.

"He seems okay," the doctor reported. "But he's out like a light."

Kobayashi pulled the headphones off of the little boys head. He squirmed slightly and gave a brief snort, which caused Momo to tense, but she relaxed when the boy resumed his quiet snoring. He seemed to be just fine now.

_At least until he wakes up. I'll know for sure when that happens. _

Kobayashi did a few more checks, and then left. When he did, Momo put her iPod in her jacket pocket and sat back in the chair. She used this opportunity to grab a few hours of sleep, but she didn't sleep long. She wanted to be awake well before the child was.


	7. Chapter 6: Sensation

Chapter 6

Sensation

Kouta woke from a terrible dream.

He was standing on the stone steps under the full moon with Nyu, her horns intact. She was holding his music box open, with the pink seashell inside it. The box played its tune, and she was humming along with it with a big smile. He smiled back at her and hummed as well. They stood there for several moments, staring into each others eyes, and then something changed.

Nyu's smile vanished as she was bathed in a deep red light. Kouta looked up to see that the moon had turned blood red. He looked down to see Nyu staring in horror at the music box, which now contained his father's severed head. Nyu dropped the box and started crying.

"Kouta," she said through her tears. "I'm sorry."

Suddenly, a group of soldiers came from nowhere and grabbed Nyu from behind.

"Kouta!" She screamed. "Kouta! Help!" The soldiers began dragging her away up the steps.

Kouta tried to lunge at them, but one of the soldiers, the one that had attacked him on the beach that night, pulled up his machine gun and shot him in the stomach, and he fell forward onto the stairs.

"Kouta!"

He tried to crawl up after them. He barely got up four stairs when something grabbed his leg. He redoubled his effort, but something else grabbed his other leg. He was being pulled back down the stairs. He turned his head to see what was holding him so tightly. He was horrified to see that it was Kanae, her lower half missing, a trail of blood and entrails behind her, gripping his right leg. Pulling his left one was his father's headless corpse.

"Let her go, Kouta," Kanae said, blood spilling from her mouth, her eyes empty and devoid of soul. "She's a monster. Look what she did to me. You believe me now, don't you?"

"Kanae," Kouta moaned. "Please let me go."

"Why?" Kanae asked. Rather than try and reason with her, Kouta put more effort into climbing the stairs.

"Kouta! Please!" Nyu screamed.

"Nyu!" Kouta yelled.

Kouta could only watch as the lead soldier raised his weapon, put it to the back of Nyu's head, and pulled the trigger. A plume of blood shot from her forehead. Her body went limp, and the soldier let go of her. Her lifeless corpse fell down the stairs to Kouta's level. He stared into her lifeless eyes, tears still streaming from them, just as they streamed from his.

Kouta's eyes snapped wide open, breathing heavily. He stared at the ceiling for several minutes.

He looked around to find himself in his bedroom. He was relieved to see the sun shining through the window, a gentle breeze was blowing on the leaves, and everything was where it should be. His music box was on the shelf, Nyu was sleeping soundly, cuddled up next to him, and his school bag was sitting in the corner...

_Wait a minute...What?_

Kouta slowly looked down to see Nyu sleeping, snuggling against him on top of the covers without any clothes on.

"Kouta," she whispered blissfully, still asleep.

Kouta panicked. He screamed and slipped himself out of his futon covers as fast as he could, crawling backward into the wall. This woke Nyu up, who rubbed her eyes.

The bedroom door slid open, and Yuka entered the room.

"Kouta," she began, "What's..."

_Oh no._

"Yuka..." He stammered, "I swear to you...this...this isn't what it looks like! I mean it!" His vindictive cousin clenched her fists.

"Oh really now?" She said through gritted teeth. "Because it looks like that you two spent the night together... in a romantic kind of way!"

"Right," He said, "And that's exactly...what it is not!"

"Kouta!" Nyu yelled.

Nyu dived at Kouta and held him in a passionate embrace. This only fueled Yuka's ire.

A few minutes, and lumps later, everyone was sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

"Goodness Kouta," Nana said, staring at the large bump on his head. "What happened to you?"

Kouta bowed his head. "Please don't ask."

"So Yuka," Mayu said, "Who's this friend you said was coming over again?"

"She's a Junior from my high school days," Yuka answered. "She's very smart, but she needs some help studying for her exams. I offered to help her out so she's coming here."

"Oh."

" And Kouta," Yuka added. "If you try anything funny with her..." She held up a fist to make her point.

"I won't," Kouta said through a mouthful of rice. "I swear."

"You either, Nyu."

"Nyu?"

"Also Kouta, after breakfast, I'd like you to go buy some sweets for the tea. Would you please?"

"Sure," Kouta said.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The first thing that the young Diclonius felt was his own chest moving up and down. The first thing he heard was his own breath entering and exiting his nostrils. His eyes slowly opened, and the first things he saw were the lights on a ceiling.

He blinked several times, squinting his eyes and widening them again, testing them. To him, this was the first time he knew he had eyes. As his senses awakened, he realized that he had arms and legs, as well as a nose and mouth. He twitched his fingers, which picked up a soft sensation. His instinct told him that he was laying on a bed of some sort.

He lifted his left arm, and moved it to his face. He stared at it, examining both sides of it, and then moved each of his fingers one by one. He repeated this examination with his right arm. He placed his hands on his chest, feeling it rise and fall as he breathed. He felt something strange thumping within his chest.

_Heartbeat,_ He thought.

The boy opened his mouth and breathed through it, then he felt his own lips with his tongue, followed by his teeth. He moved his eyes around, trying to get a better view of his surroundings. He quickly realized that he could better achieve this by moving his head. He turned his head to the right and saw a curtain dangling down on the side of his bed. He turned his head left, and instantly felt his heartbeat increase, as there was someone sitting in a chair there, silently staring at him. He sharply sat up, and the first sound he made with his voice was a soft, startled squeak.

_Person, _he thought. _Woman. Female. Chair. Black hair. Eyes. _

The woman uncrossed her arms and leaned forward.

"Finally awake?" She asked.

_Japanese, _The boy realized. _She is speaking Japanese. I understood her. I speak Japanese. Am I Japanese?_

The boy hesitated, trying to find his voice. The woman waited patiently for him to respond.

"Awake," he said softly. The woman appeared to hear him.

"Good," The woman said. "So you can understand me?"

The boy looked for his voice again, and quickly found it.

"Yes," He said a bit louder this time, trying to match her volume.

"Awesome," She said. "How are you feeling?"

The little mutant pondered this question, looking around the room as he did so. After a moment, he settled his focus back on the sitting woman.

"I feel..." He said. "...Awake."

"That's progress," she said. She moved a hand to her chest. "My name is Momo. What's your name?"

The boy pondered again, this time for a bit longer. Though his face did not show it, he was shocked that he could not find what he was looking for. He had many names in his head, names of noteworthy people that have made their mark in the world in some way or another, but no name he could think of belonged to him. He looked back to Momo with widened eyes.

"I don't know," He said.

Momo's brow furrowed. "You don't know?"

The child shook his head.

"Well that stinks. What all...do you know?"

The boy looked around the room and pointed at various objects.

"Light," he said. "Bed, chair, curtain, wall, door, shelf, sink..."

"I mean..." Momo interrupted, "What do you remember? What's the first thing you can remember?"

He considered this. He lay down on his back and looked up to the ceiling, pointing at it.

"Light." He said.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Momo was puzzled, to say the least.

"The first thing you remember is waking up here?" She asked. The little boy nodded.

_I've heard of amnesia, _she thought, _but this is way more extreme. How does he not remember what happened in the park? I would think that that rampage he went on would be memorable, yet he doesn't seem to recognize me. Damn you, Kakuzawa! What did you do to this poor kid?!_

"You don't remember anything before that?" Momo asked. The child shook his head. He looked at her in curiosity. She found the inquisitive look on his innocent face to be incredibly adorable, so much so that she just wanted to pinch his cheeks. She thought better of that though, as she did not wish to risk being flung out of the window.

Then she had an idea.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The woman called Momo reached into her jacket and pulled out a small blue object. The sight of it sparked something in the young Diclonius, and he moved his legs for what he believed to be the first time. He got on his knees and leaned toward it. He reached out a hand, longing to hold it. Momo placed it in his hand and he took it. He held it close to his chest. He could not explain why, but holding onto it made him feel safe.

"That's my iPod." Momo said. "It plays music."

"Music," the boy said.

His thoughts were redirected when the door at the far end of the room opened, and a man stepped inside. He was a tall man with short black hair, thin beard stubble, and a friendly face. The boy guessed that he was somewhere in his forties.

_Wait a minute. How old am I?_

"Oh," The man said. "So he's finally awake?"

"As of three minutes ago," Momo said.

"Good," The man said. "I'm Doctor Kobayashi. What is your name?"

"I don't know," the boy answered.

The smile on Kobayashi's face waned somewhat. He looked over to Momo, who shrugged.

"You're a doctor?" The boy asked. He looked around the room again. "Is this a hospital?"

"Yes it is," Kobayashi said. "Don't worry though, I'm just here to do a quick checkup on you."

"Where is this hospital?" The boy asked?

"Nagoya," Momo said. "Do you know what Nagoya is?"

The boy thought for a moment and provided the answer. "A city in Japan? Chubu region?"

Momo's eyes widened. "Correct," She said. "How did you know that?"

"I don't know," the boy said.

Doctor Kobayashi moved to the child's side and put on a stethoscope. He placed it on the boy's chest beneath his hospital gown. He checked his pulse, blood pressure, ears and eyes. He asked his young patient to step out of the bed, and had him to look to the left and cough. Momo looked away when he did this one. After that test, he had him sit back on the bed, and he checked his reflexes.

"Everything seems to be normal," Kobayashi said. He pulled out a latex glove from his lab coat. "There is one more thing I want to take a look at though."

"Oh, boy," Momo said. "Is this a prostate thing?" The boy looked over to her with concern.

"No," Kobayashi said. "I just want to examine his...horns."

The child widened is eyes. "Horns?"

Kobayashi and Momo both raised an eyebrow.

The Doctor put on his glove, and moved his finger to the side of the boy's head. He felt the finger touch something he did not realize was there, a protrusion whose purpose he could not even guess. From what he could feel, the horn was triangular, somewhat flattened, and not very large. Kobayashi moved his finger to the right side, and the boy felt another horn there as well.

"Interesting," Kobayashi said. "They're very sensitive, but they don't seem to be harmful to him in any way." The child moved his hands over his own horns, completely perplexed.

"Is it okay if I check him out of here today?" Momo asked. "If I stay here much longer, I'm gonna put on a pair of scrubs and go native."

"It should be fine," Kobayashi said. "I'll get the discharge forms ready for you soon." With that, Kobayashi left the room.

"Check me out?" The boy said. "Where are we going?"

"To my house," Momo said. "You'll be staying with me for a while. That is if that blockhead Saburo will ever arrive with the things I asked him for."


	8. Chapter 7: Contempt

Chapter 7

Contempt

Saburo Kuroki arrived right as Momo finished filling out the hospital discharge forms for her new ward.

"About time," Momo said. "Where have you been?"

"I do have a life of my own Momo," Saburo said. "I have to work my job if I want to keep it." He handed her a large paper bag filled with the things she requested.

"Fair enough," Momo said. She started digging through the bag. Saburo looked down to see the little horned boy looking up at him.

"I see you're up and about," Saburo said to the child. "Finally got your brains unscrambled, did you?"

The boy stared at him, puzzled. "My brains were scrambled?"

"Kinda," Momo said, still sorting through the bag, "I'll tell you about it later kid. Saburo, what the hell is this?"

Saburo stood up to see her holding up the hat he brought her. It was a red energy dome. "You said to pick the one that was least feminine," He said. "That one's the least feminine."

"Seriously?" She asked. "I could have sworn I had a sombrero."

"You do. It's pink."

"Really? I thought...oh yeah." Momo suddenly remembered how her sisters had painted it pink years ago. "Well, I guess this one will have to do."

"Where did you even get that goofy looking thing anyway?" Daisuke asked. "It looks like a cake mold or something."

"My parents got it for me," Momo answered, "when they took me to a Devo concert when I was a kid."

Momo and Saburo walked out into the hallway with the child following close behind. She looked over and saw an unfriendly face staring at her.

"Hey Saburo," She said, "Take the kid to the men's room and help him change clothes will you?"

Saburo looked to where she was looking. "Sure, no problem." He led the kid to the nearest bathroom. Momo walked over to the old man.

"What do you want, Kakuzawa?" She asked.

"I'm here to warn you," he said, "you do not have the slightest idea what that child is capable of. It is his nature to kill, and when he attacks you again, he'll do much more than just slap you around."

Momo's hand wandered down to her stomach, the bruises having already healed, though still fresh in her mind.

"I know how to handle myself," she said. "Besides, he's a lot calmer now."

"The calm ones are far more dangerous. You should just give him back to me now. I know you don't agree with my methods, but I can assure you that it's best for all involved that he remain confined."

_Calm ONES? _She thought. _So there really ARE more like him. _

"I don't even know what your methods are," Momo said, "or even their purpose. All I can tell is that they're as cruel and despicable as you are. I'll ask you one more time: what the hell were you doing to him?"

"And I'll tell you one more time," Kakuzawa said, "That is not your concern."

"Well, the kid is no longer YOUR concern, so I guess I'll have to settle for that."

Kakuzawa's eyes narrowed. Within them, Momo could see his contempt. The Kuroki and the Kakuzawa families have never gotten along with each other. Any Kuroki who met even one of them could tell that there was something not right about them. This was especially true for the old man staring down at her. She had the feeling that every action he took was governed by hatred.

"You Kuroki," Kakuzawa said, "could never abandon that outdated sense of honor and pride of your warrior forefathers. It will be your undoing one day."

"Or yours," Momo countered.

The old man and young woman stared each other down. The tension was broken when Saburo beckoned Momo, and the two adversaries looked back to him. He stood seven meters down the hall with the boy, who was now wearing different clothes. He wore blue jeans, red sneakers, and a black t-shirt with a picture of a Kaiju on it. He also wore Momo's old energy dome, which looked quite silly, but covered his horns surprisingly well. She was actually worried that it might not fit because of them. He was holding Momo's iPod in his left hand.

"What is that atrocious thing on his head?" Kakuzawa asked. Momo looked back to Kakuzawa, grinning at his distaste.

"Not a Metallica fan, I take it?" Momo asked.

"I've given you my warning, Kuroki," he growled. "He will slaughter you, and when he does, do not expect me to feel any pity for you."

"You wouldn't know pity if it walked up and spat in your face," Momo said, "something I am sorely tempted to do right now." she turned and walked away from her family's nemesis.

"So that's the guy?" Saburo asked her.

"That's him," Momo said. "There is seriously something not right about that guy."

"Pretty butterfly," the child said, pointing the picture on his shirt.

"That's Mothra, kid," Momo said. "Thanks again, Saburo. I can take him from here."

"Anytime." Saburo said. He turned and left.

"Mothra," the boy said, testing the word. "Mothra." Momo knelt down, looked at him, and smiled.

"You are just the cutest little guy," Momo said. She removed his hat and ruffled his hair affectionately, causing him to blush slightly. She placed the hat back on his head and held her hand out to him. "Ready to head home kiddo?"

The boy stared at her hand and slowly reached for it. When he grabbed it, he smiled, feeling that he could somehow trust this shaggy haired woman.

The two of them walked out of the hospital, hand in hand.

"We definitely need to get you a new hat sometime," Momo commented.

"Really?" The boy said. "I kind of like it."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kouta was walking up the stone stairs, heading into town to get the sweets that Yuka asked for. He could not get the nightmare out of his head, that look of despair and sadness in Nyu's dead eyes. The thought of it made his heart ache and his stomach turn.

"No matter what she did," he said, "she does not deserve that. I will not let anything happen to her again. Not again."

He tried to push the memory out of his mind and focus on the simple task ahead of him; getting sweets. As he walked up the steps, he came across someone walking in the opposite direction. She was a striking young girl with black hair in a high school uniform. She was looking down at a strip of paper.

_Wow,_ Kouta thought. _She's lovely. _

The girl looked down at him and spoke to Kouta, but he couldn't make out what she was saying as she was speaking too softly.

"Say what?" Kouta asked, taking a step toward her. "I can't hear you."

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the slip of paper out of the girl's hand, and blew up her skirt. Kouta was shocked to see what she was wearing under it.

_What the...Is that a diaper?_

The girl quickly realized what happened and her face turned beet red. She screamed and ran down the stairs past Kouta without looking back, leaving him stunned.

"What was that about?"


	9. Chapter 8: Embarrassment

**This story picks up where the anime left off, but as you all have probably guessed by now, I am trying to reincorporate parts of the manga that never made it into the anime.**

**Also, in this chapter, I finally give the male diclonius a name. I hope you all forgive me for the name I gave him, but his older sister's name is Lucy, (kind of) and I just couldn't resist.**

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

Chapter 8

Embarrassment

It was not long before Kouta returned to the maple inn.

"I'm back." He said.

He headed toward the room where he last left Yuka. He thought he could hear sobbing on the other side. He opened the door.

"I brought the sweets..." He said. He trailed off when he saw the new face sitting with everyone. It was the girl from before, the one in the diaper. She looked up at him and turned red again.

"Ah, Kouta," Yuka said. "This is my friend I told you about, Nozomi."

"Oh," Kouta said, "It was you..."

Yuka looked back to Nozomi, and from the expression on her face, understood everything.

"Wait a minute," Yuka said, "Were you the one who saw her panties?"

"Kouta!" Mayu said, appalled.

"I didn't mean to..." Kouta began.

Nozomi suddenly stood and ran out of the door. Yuka called out after her, but she did not stop. Everyone got up and searched the house for her.

"Nozomi!" Kouta called, searching the halls.

"Nozomi?" Mayu asked, checking the kitchen/

"Nozomi?" Yuka said, searching the upstairs bedrooms. "Come on out. I'm sure it was an accident."

"Miss Nozomi?" Nana said, looking in one of the downstairs bedrooms.

"Nyu?" Nyu said, looking in the bathroom.

Kouta and Yuka checked the entrance.

"Did you find her?" Kouta said.

"No," Yuka replied, "But her shoes are still here, so she has to be around here somewhere."

"Okay, I'll keep looking." Kouta continued his search in the back yard. He finally spotted her near the pond.

"Nozomi," he said. The raven haired girl turned to him with a start. She was holding her soiled diaper between her legs, clearly in the process of removing it. Nozomi screamed and Kouta shut his eyes.

"I'm so sorry!" He said. "About before, I swear it was an accident!" Nozomi dropped the diaper and picked it up in a panic. Unfortunately, she had picked it up to quickly, and it spattered urine on her clothes. She blushed furiously and began crying.

"Someone saw me," She whispered. "Someone saw me! I can't believe this!" She was speaking very softly, but Kouta could faintly make out what she was saying this time.

"I can't believe I was so careless," She continued. "Now everyone's going to know what a coward I truly am! Why am I so pathetic? Father's going to be so angry!"

"Nozomi!" Yuka called out from behind her. She had Mayu, Nyu and Nana with her.

"Oh no," Nozomi whispered. "Please don't look at me Yuka! I can't stand this anymore!"

Thinking quickly, Kouta pushed Nozomi into the pond. Yuka responded with rage.

"Kouta! What the hell are you doing?!"

"There you go," Kouta said to Nozomi. "You're secret's safe a little longer." Nozomi looked up to him with surprise, then looked down to see that her urine was washed from her clothes.

"Kouta!" Yuka screamed again. Kouta looked over to see her fist flying at him at muzzle velocity. He braced himself, and was surprised when Nozomi leapt from the pond and took the hit for him."

"Nozomi!" Yuka screamed. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, are you okay?!"

"Why did you do that?" Kouta asked.

"Because," she whispered, "You saved me. If you had not done that, Yuka would know about..."

Kouta and Yuka brought Nozomi into the house. She took a quick bath and put on a dress that Yuka loaned her. Soon, she was sitting at the table with the rest of the maple house residents.

"So you want to be a singer, huh?" Kouta asked. "Like an opera singer or something?"

"That's her plan," Yuka said, "The problem though is that her family is famous, and they don't want her going to music college. That aside, she's a single child, so she will end up inheriting her family's business. She's hoping to get into music college by relying on her talent."

"I see," Kouta said.

"And since she can't practice singing at home, I offered to let her practice here."

"Can we hear her sing?" Mayu asked. Nozomi blushed at the question.

"I'd like that," Yuka said. "I have yet to actually hear her sing."

"Yes," Kouta said, "Please do."

Nozomi plucked up what courage she could muster, and took a deep breath. Then she began singing. The sound emanating from her throat entranced everyone in the house.

"Wow," Kouta whispered to Yuka. "She really is gifted."

"She has the voice of an angel," Yuka whispered back.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Less than an hour after they left the hospital, the child's stomach started rumbling. Momo flagged down an cab and took him to a restaurant in the Osu shopping district. The whole experience was a bit embarrassing for her, as the kid had obviously never been taught table manners, or if he had, then they were long forgotten. He also had a big appetite. Whenever he finished something, he seemed to want more.

She managed to teach him how to use the eating utensils, which was not too difficult since he already knew what each one was. Her biggest problem was teaching him to eat quietly. She seemed to succeed at first, but every time he tasted a new dish, he dug into it like an animal. It was as if it were his first time eating anything at all.

After he finished the unagi, he started into a bowl of Yakisoba noodles. When he took his first bite, his face lit up like Momo had never seen before. He looked as if he had just learned the deepest secrets of the universe.

"Ambrosia," He groaned.

"Ambrosia?" Momo repeated. "Where did you learn that word?"

The boy thought about it for a second. "I don't know." He resumed his messy eating.

Momo palmed her face with embarrassment. She sheepishly gazed around the room. Several other customers were staring at them. She realized that his sloppy eating noise was probably caught their attention at first, but now some of them seemed to be staring at the horns on his head.

_Why did I make him take the hat off? Then again, the hat's not exactly subtle either. Damned if I do, Damned if I don't. _

She caught sight of a young foreign couple sitting near them. The woman was an expecting mother from the look of her belly. Feeling a sense of mischief, Momo grinned and emphasized herself and the boy with her hand.

"This will be you real soon," she said. The couple looked away in disgust. The horned boy looked over at them, and then back at Momo.

"Are you my mom?" He asked. Momo looked at him, not expecting the question.

"Say what?"

"Are you my mom? Did you give birth to me?" Momo was a bit taken aback. She had not expected someone so young to phrase the question in that manner.

"Well...no," Momo said, "Not exactly, no. I didn't."

"But you're the one taking care of me, right?"

"Yes, I am."

"But if you're not my mom, then who gave birth to me?"

"I honestly don't know. But I'm hoping that I'll find that out sometime soon."

"Really?" The boy asked. Momo nodded.

"You can call me mom until then if you want."

The boy smiled. She leaned over and wiped his face with her napkin for the fifth time that day.

"So you really don't know your own name?" Momo asked. The boy shook his head.

"Tell you what," Momo said. "Until we find your real name, and your parents, I'll give you a name. How does that sound?" The boy's red eyes brightened again and he nodded smiling.

"Now give me a minute to think of something." She said. She stared at him intently, thinking. She was a very picky person when it came to naming things, always wanting to come up with the most appropriate one. The boy went back to eating his noodles.

_Think Momo, _She thought. _This shouldn't be too hard. It's like nicknaming a Pokemon. _

She looked at his horns, wondering if she could work with that.

_Damien? Nah, too evil. Sprout? Nah, too stupid. Can't just call him horns. No imagination there._ She thought of his odd powers. _Too bad he's not a girl, or I'd call him Carrie. _She chuckled at the thought, and the boy looked up at her.

"What's funny?" He asked.

"Nothing," She said. "Just thinking." The boy resumed eating, keeping one hand on the blue iPod, which was laying on the table.

_I think I'll let him keep that thing. He's really attached to it. He holds it like some kind of security blanket. _This thought gave her the perfect name for the child in front of her.

"I got it," she said. The boy looked back up at her. "Until we find out your real name, I am going to call you Linus."

"Linus?" He said.

"Yeah. You like it?"

The child thought about it for a moment. "I like it."

"Good."

The child eventually got full, and Momo called for the check. The restaurant's other customers were glad to see the pair go.

"Okay Linus," Momo said, "what's say we head home now?"

"Okay...Mom." Linus said. The pair resumed their journey to the train station.


	10. Chapter 9: Home

Chapter 9

Home

After a few train rides, Momo brought the Diclonius to her house in the Nishi ward. It was a modest two story dwelling. Upon entering the front door, one immediately encountered the stairs. To the left was a small living room with a couch, a television, a blu ray player, and a video game system. To the right was the kitchen/dining room, behind which was the laundry room. Momo led the boy up the stairs. At the top in the center was the bathroom, and to the right was Momo's room. She led him left to the spare bedroom. It was largely empty except for a small bed, a narrow desk, and a dresser.

"This will be your room," Momo told Linus as she opened the closet. "I rarely have guests over, but I keep a bed here just in case." She reached for the upper shelf of the closet to pull out some sheets, blankets, and pillows. She made the bed quickly.

"It's...nice," Linus said.

"Don't fret," Momo said, "We can get some stuff to spruce it up later."

Linus looked down at the bed. "Do I have to go to bed now?"

"Of course not," Momo said, "It's barely afternoon. Most people don't sleep until nighttime."

"Oh, yeah."

"We can spend the rest of the day here getting you acclimatized. Tomorrow, we can go shopping for some clothes and things for your room."

"Okay then."

After showing her ward around the house, Momo sat him down at the kitchen table. She gave him a small bottle of soda, and slowly explained what she knew about him, and how the two of them met. Needless to say, he was perplexed. He was especially stunned when she told him about his strange powers.

"Ghost hands?" He said. "I have ghost hands?"

"To be clear," She said, "That's just what I call them. I don't really know what they are."

"Did I hurt anyone?"

"No. You...broke a few things, but nobody was hurt. Well, actually you did give me a couple of bruises."

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine. I'm just glad that iPod caught your attention." Linus looked at the small music player that his left hand still clung to. His eyes changed to a look of recollection.

"Little Broken Hearts?" He asked.

"Yes," Momo said. "Exactly!" The boy flipped through the iPod and played the song. He smiled at the singer's beautiful voice, and the rhythm that accompanied it. After the song was finished, he hit pause and set it down on the table in front of him.

"So you really remember nothing before that?" Momo asked. The boy shook his horned head.

"Did I really have wires sticking...out of me?" Linus asked. Momo nodded. The boy cringed at the thought, and looked over his body. He found no signs that wires had ever been there.

"Hang on a sec," Momo said, "I'll be back." She got up from the table, and soon returned. With her, she brought a bunch of old school books and flash cards.

"What are those for?" Linus asked.

"You don't know anything about yourself, but you seem to know a lot of other things. I want to see how much you do know." She pulled out a flash card. "What is two plus four?"

"Six," Linus answered. She pulled out more flash cards. The more questions the boy answered, the more difficult the equations became.

"One hundred and forty four divided by twelve?"

"Twelve."

"Square root of nine times pi divided by two?"

"Four point seven one."

"Well, you certainly have math down pat. Let's see if you know anything about history." She pulled out an old history text book.

Over the next two hours, Momo continued to quiz him over various subjects. History, sciences, geography, and every other subject she had a book for. To her great surprise, he knew a great many things. He answered nearly every question she asked correctly. Then she decided to test him on languages.

"Okay now kid," She said in English, "Can you understand what I'm saying to you right now?"

Linus took a moment to search his own mind and form the words. He responded in perfect English as well.

"Yes I can. I can understand you very clearly."

"Neat," She said in Japanese. She switched over to Russian. " Vy mozhete govorit' na etom yazyke voobshche?" (Can you speak this language at all?")

The boy paused again, smiled, and responded in kind. "Da, ya mogu govorit' po-russki." (Yes, I can speak Russian.) Linus was starting to enjoy this.

"Vpechatlyayushchiy," (Impressive,) Momo said.

The next language she used was Mandarin, the final language she could speak fluently. "Gaosu wo, jintian zhexie miantiao zenme yang?" (Tell me, how were those noodles today?)

This time, he responded almost immediately, the noodles fresh on his mind.

"Tamen zhen hao chi. Wo xiang zai chi yici!" (They were so delicious. I want to eat them again!)

"Okay then," Momo said. "Say something to me in, say...Mongolian. Anything at all."

The boy thought of something. "Bi tsamtsan deeree erveekheind durtai."

"Which means?"

"I like the butterfly on my shirt."

"Hmm. It would seem you have me beat. I only know four languages."

"I think I might actually know more."

"Good lord, if you start speaking Klingon, I will eat my jacket."

"I don't know that word, actually. Klingon?"

"Good. I really didn't want to eat my jacket."

"You mean that one on the hanger by the door? Leather is edible."

"Not the point. It's a nice jacket. Expensive too."

"Oh. So what's next?"

"Yeah, I'm done quizzing you now. I think we've established that you're smarter...I mean, know a lot more than...a kid your age normally does."

"Except who I am." Linus put on an expression of lament

"Hey," Momo reassured, "don't let that get to you. I bet you're memories will come back in time."

"I hope so." He placed his hand back on his iPod for reassurance.

"Actually, there is one last thing I want to test you on," Momo said. "Do you know where babies come?" The boy thought for a second.

"Sexual Intercourse?" He said. Momo was shocked at how quickly and clinically he answered the question. She was also relieved, as she was afraid she would have to give him "the talk," which had been an awkward experience when she gave it to her sisters.

"Correct," She said. "Just needed to make sure you knew that."

"So now what do we do?"

"Tell you what," Momo said. "What's say we do something fun, and take your mind off of things."

"Like what?" Momo thought for a moment. She came up with an idea when she looked down at the boy's Mothra t-shirt.

"How about a movie?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakuzawa stepped into his office at the Diclonius Research Institute back in Kanagawa. He sat down at his desk, enraged.

_This is unbelievable, _He thought. _So close. My son was almost ready. I worked so hard to keep those damn Kuroki in the dark, and now they know! What's worse, my son is in the hands of that insolent little bitch. He may kill her, but she could kill him too if she sees him as a great enough threat. I have to get him back soon. _

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," the director said.

Doctor Nousou entered the room, gnawing on three pocky snacks . "You wanted to see me sir?" The young doctor was still nervous after the incident in Nagoya.

"Yes," Kakuzawa said. "You remember that little device you proposed a few years ago? I want you to get to work on it right away."

"You mean the...?"

"Yes. Use the remaining silpelit clones to test it if you need to."

"I understand sir. What do we do about the boy?"

"Leave that to me. It will take some careful planning, but I'll get him back."

"With respect sir, do you think he will be okay with that woman? I mean, she's a soldier...WAS a soldier. They have a very narrow view when it comes to anything even potentially dangerous."

Kakuzawa thought hard for a moment.

"I have faith in him. He's a Diclonius, and my son at that. With his Diclonius instincts and the quantity of knowledge at his disposal, he will one day realize what he truly is, and what his destiny will be. He will easily be able to outsmart a Kuroki, even a seasoned soldier like her. And once we get him back, he will know where his true loyalties belong. It's in his blood."

"I see." Nousou said. "Honestly, I can't help but wonder what he will do with all of that knowledge."

"He's a Kakuzawa, and the new Adam of a superior race. By now, he must be testing the limits of his own vast intellect."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Come on, you stupid jerk!" The Diclonius screamed, "Just give her back the little fairy women, and she'll go away!"

"You're shouting at a TV," Momo said. "They can't hear you."

"I...I...But why doesn't...why is he so stupid? Mothra's gonna kill him!"

"Simple greed, kid. If Mothra gets him, it's his own damn fault."

"I guess, but a lot of other people are getting hurt too! Does that not bother him at all?"

"Clearly it doesn't."

"Well then, I hope that big imago gets him."

"Amen."

_Imago? _Momo thought. _What the hell's an imago?_


	11. Chapter 10: Phantom Limbs

Chapter 10

Phantom Limbs

After a long night of watching kaiju movies, the horned child fell asleep on the couch. Momo carried him to his room and tucked him in. It reminded of her of the movie nights she shared with her family many years ago, causing her to smile. The following morning at around eight, Linus was awoken by the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. He tried to shrug it off and go back to sleep. Before too long, Momo came into his room to get him up for some breakfast. She was wearing a red bathrobe and her hair was damp. He deduced from this that the noise that woke him up was from her taking a bath or a shower.

He dragged himself down the stairs and sat at the kitchen table.

_Breakfast,_ He thought, _The traditional first meal of the day, practiced in many cultures. _

Momo sat a bowl of what appeared to be some kind of yellow sludge. He smelled it. It's scent was interesting and rather appetizing, but he did not recognize it. Apparently, even with his apparent wealth of knowledge, he did not seem to have a chapter on smells in his mental encyclopedia.

"What's this?" He asked.

Rather than answer with words, Momo demonstrated. She sat a bowl of rice in front of her and picked up a couple of eggs. She cracked them open and poured them on the rice, then mixed it together with her chopsticks.

"Breakfast of champions," Momo said.

"Hmm." Linus picked up his chopsticks.

"Remember," Momo interjected. "Table manners."

Linus nodded and took a bite slowly. He hummed approvingly at the taste.

"Glad you like it." Momo said.

The meal was filling and delicious. After they were finished, Momo instructed him to go and take a shower. She provided him with a change of clothes and a couple of towels, which he sat on the counter near the sink. He stripped off his dirty clothes and stepped in the bathtub. He fiddled with the left knob, turning on the water, and pulled the tab on top of the faucet. Hot water sprayed from the upper nozzle.

"Ow!" He shouted. "Hot! Hot!"

"Turn the knob on the right!" Momo shouted from the hallway. "That's the cold water! Balance out the temperature!" The boy did as she instructed, and the water temperature dropped considerably.

"Thank you!" He shouted back. He scrubbed his body and shampooed his hair. After he was done, he turned off the water and pulled back the curtain.

"Oh no," he said, looking down at the floor. "Why did I leave the towel way over there? Now I'll get the floor all wet."

Then suddenly, a voice spoke in his head. It was his voice, and yet it was not.

_It's just over there, _The voice said. _just reach out and grab it. _

"Grab it," Linus muttered. A translucent arm reached out from his back and picked up the towel. For a moment this seemed like a normal thing to him. Then his mind focused on the arm, and he quickly realized that there was a translucent arm sticking out of his back. He remembered what Momo had told him the previous day. His eyes widened, and he screamed. Momo burst through the bathroom door within seconds. She had changed into a pair of blue jeans and a red t-shirt.

"What happened?" She said. "What's wrong?" She found the boy sitting in the tub quivering.

"Ghost hand," Linus said. "I saw it!"

Momo looked around the room, but did not see any sign of it. She only saw a towel laying on the floor. Then she realized that the boy had said something strange.

"You _saw_ it?" She asked. When she saw the limbs, she did not actually see them. They were invisible. "You mean like, SAW it, saw it?" The boy nodded.

"How did you...where did it come from? Where did it go?"

"I don't know," the boy said. "I just looked over there, and then I saw it pick up the towel. Now it's gone."

Momo looked to the counter, then back at the towel on the floor. She picked it up and handed it to the frightened boy. She beckoned him to stand up and to put the towel on.

"Okay," Momo said. "Let's try something. Look at the clothes on the counter." Linus did as was told, but nothing happened. Momo thought hard for a minute and came up with an idea. She told Linus to get dressed and come downstairs. He did as was told and she handed him a piece of chocolate.

The boy ate the chocolate, and immediately liked it. All thoughts of the ghost arm seemed to leave his mind as he focused on the bowl full of chocolates she was holding. Rather than give him another piece, she placed the bowl on a high shelf in the living room.

"If you want it," she said, "grab it."

"But I can't reach that high." Momo simply shrugged.

The boy stared at the bowl. He really wanted another piece of that delicious chocolate very badly.

_Just take it_, voice said. _You can reach it._

The hand reached out and grabbed the bowl. From Momo's perspective, the bowl appeared to float through the air toward the boy. As it got halfway to him, Momo interjected.

"Hold it kid," She said. Linus suddenly snapped out of his trance and realized that the hand was back. "Don't panic now," Momo reassured. The bowl hung still in the air. "Just tell me, do you see the hand now?"

"Yes."

"Describe it for me."

"It's...translucent." Linus said. "Flexible." His eyes followed the arm attached to the hand, and discovered where the arm was coming from. "It's coming from me."

"Just stay calm," Momo said. "Now I want you to try and move it."

"Move it?'

"Yeah. I assume that if it's coming out of you, then you're the one controlling it. Give it a try."

The boy focused on the arm. After a moment of concentration, he managed to achieve conscious control of the ghostly appendage, and sat the bowl of chocolates down on the sofa.

"I did it," The boy said, "I moved it. I moved it!"

"Yes you did," Momo said. "Now lets see what else you can do with it."

For the next hour, Linus practiced with his phantom limb, and Momo took notes. They soon discovered that he had more than one ghostly arm; eight to be precise, and that each of them could only extend one meter from him. They learned that whatever they were made of, they vibrated and that Linus could change the frequency of their vibrations at will. They also discovered that the faster they vibrated, the more dangerous they became, as he demonstrated when he sliced through a table lamp.

"Very, very interesting," Momo said.

"This is really something," The boy said, continuing to play with his arms. "I think I'm starting to like these things."

"I know those things are pretty cool," Momo said. "But I need you to promise me something. When we're out in public, I don't want you using those, okay?"

"Why not?"

"Those things are rather...new to the world, and I think most people would freak out if they saw them. And honestly, I still don't really know what they are, or what they're capable of, so I think it would be safer if we limited them to this house. Understand?"

The boy considered her logic, and agreed to her request.

"Okay," he said. "I promise. I won't use them outside of this house."

"Good," Momo said. "Now go upstairs and brush your teeth. We've still got some shopping to do."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Momo and Linus went out and took a train back to the Naka ward. Upon arriving, they immediately headed to the Oasis 21 shopping mall. Linus forgot to grab the energy dome, so the first thing that they went looking for was a new hat primarily because his horns had gotten him more than a few stares. Momo was impressed with how well he handled it though; he responded to their staring with a smile, a wave, or a quick hello. Most people disregarded his greetings and went on about their business.

_Kid seems happy to be alive, _Momo thought. _I like that. _

Linus tried on different hats, and it did not take long for him to decide on one; a black bucket hat to be precise. It covered his horns better than any of the others, and he chose a black one because he felt that it went well with his red hair and eyes. They soon moved on to other clothes; various kinds of pants, shirts, underwear, socks, and a new pair of sneakers that fit better than the ones he was using.

After a quick lunch at the food court, they went looking for some decorations for his room, but the only things that Linus seemed interested in were a globe and a poster of Mothra.

_Makes sense I guess, _Momo thought. _Kid only remembers the last two days of his existence, and as far as popular culture goes, I've only showed him a few giant monster movies. Gonna need to show him some others._

"You're sure you want just Mothra?" Momo asked. " They've got Godzilla and Gamera too."

"I think Mothra's my favorite," the boy said. "She's the nice one."

"Fair enough," Momo said. "Rodan is my favorite. I think I'll get one of him. How about we get you a sketchbook or something? It might be good to start a hobby."

"But I don't think I've ever drawn before," Linus said, "Or if I did, I don't remember it."

"No one is born having done it already, kiddo. It's just something you try, and if you like it, you keep doing it. That's how people discover and develop new skills."

The boy thought about it. "Okay then, I'll give it a try."

"Good."

After leaving the mall, the pair headed back home. Upon arriving, Momo discovered a thick envelope in her mailbox, as well as a note stapled to it.

Call me when you get this,

Hisoka.

After sorting out all of their new stuff, Linus went to use the restroom, and Momo sat at the kitchen table with the envelope in front of her. She pulled out her cell phone and called her uncle.

"I assume that you've received the package?" Hisoka asked.

"Yeah, but I haven't opened it yet. What is it exactly?"

"All of the information I could get you on the boy's kind. It's not as much I was going for, but that damn Kakuzawa really wants to keep as much of this a secret as he can get away with."

Momo put the phone on speaker and sat it on the table. She opened the envelope and slid a file out of it. She opened it and began skimming it.

"Diclonius?" She said. "That's what Linus's kind is called?"

"That's what they're...Linus?," Hisoka said.

"The boy. I named him Linus."

"Oh, I see. Anyway, yes, his species is called Diclonius."

"I assume you've read this thing yourself?"

"Of course I did. I even made a few copies."

She found a picture of an X-ray of a person's skull, a very young person judging from the size of the skull compared to the rest of the visible bones. Aside from the horns sticking out of it, the skull seemed normal.

"Is this X-ray of the boy, or of someone else?"

"Somebody else," Hisoka said. "I couldn't get any information on that...Linus, specifically. There's another picture you'll want to look at though. Look for a brain scan."

Momo flipped through the file and found two brain scan images. She held them up and studied them for a moment.

"Okay, I'm guessing that the one with the lump in the front is of a Diclonius brain, and the other one is a regular person?"

"Correct." Hisoka said. "Apparently, that 'lump' is the pineal gland. If you look in the other picture, you'll find a normal one located near the middle of the brain. It should be a small nub above the cerebellum, that lump of tissue near the spine."

Momo scanned the image and found it.

"That little thing is a pineal gland? It's puny compared to the one in the..." She paused and looked back at the file. "Diclonius. Not to mention that it's in a totally different spot."

"Indeed."

"Biology's not my strong suit. What's it even do?"

"In normal people it produces some hormone...melatonin I think, but in the Diclonii, it appears to be the source of their vectors."

"Vectors?"

"Yes, the 'ghost hands' you described. You'll find more on them in the file."

"Oh, good. I've been dying for some answers on those."

"Listen Momo," Hisoka warned, his voice suddenly serious. "I know he's just a kid, but be careful. From what I've read about them, these Diclonii are very dangerous. Read through that file, and I mean thoroughly."

"I will, Uncle. And thank you." Momo hung up the phone and flipped through the file.

Momo stared at the pictures. Her focus was broken when she heard the bathroom door open upstairs.

"Hey Linus," She shouted. "Come here. I've got something for you to see."

The boy came into the kitchen and sat next to her.

"I got this in the mail," she said. "Looks like we've found out a bit more about you."

"Really?" Linus looked at the file with his adoptive mother. They flipped through it page by page. They learned a great deal about what he truly was; a new species of Human. A species with incredible power. After they finished going over it, Momo closed the file.

"Well," Linus said, "This is a lot to take in."

"So…you didn't know anything about this?" Momo asked. "I mean, you know so much, but not about this?"

"No," he said. There was a measure of distress in his voice "This is new to me. It's scary. That paper says that I am carrying a virus, or my arms are. What if I infect someone?"

"Now calm down," Momo said. she opened the file again and turned to a certain page. "Okay, look. According to this, this 'virus' of yours can only be transmitted if you touch someone with your vectors, and even then only if you break the skin. It has to enter the bloodstream. Now you haven't touched anybody with them, right?"

"No," he said. "Wait, I touched you! Didn't you say I touched you in the park?"

"Well, yeah," Momo said. She looked back down at the file. "But this also says that it only affects men. Yeah, here it is. 'Causes men to sire Diclonius offspring. For reasons unknown, has no apparent effect on women.' See? And besides, all you did was knock me around a bit. You didn't cut me or anything." This calmed Linus down a bit.

"And these…other Dicloniuses…Diclonii have killed people?"

"Well that's what the file says," Momo said, "But it doesn't really explain why."

"But what if it's in my nature? What if someday I just kill someone because…"

"Oh please," Momo said. "We're human beings here, not sharks. I don't believe this bunk in here about you being 'mankind's natural enemy,' and neither should you."

"But I…" Momo cut him off.

"If you were a natural killer, you would already have killed me. Do you want to kill me?"

"No."

"Then what's there to worry about?"

Linus calmed down again. "I guess so."

"So all you have to do is not touch anybody with your vectors. It's that simple, right?"

"Right."

"So if you stick our deal about not using them outside the house, you should be good, right?"

"Right."

"Okay then. Now that that's settled, what's say we go decorate that room of yours?"

A smile spread across the Diclonius's face. "Okay!"


	12. Chapter 11: Photo Album

Chapter 11

Photo Album

Over the next several days, Momo and Linus began to bond. They would eat and talk together every day, and on some days would go out into the city for some fun. Nearly every night they would watch a movie or two, something that the boy looked forward to. Apparently, movies were not something stored in his mental encyclopedia, making each one a new experience for him to enjoy.

One morning, Momo woke up to find her newly adopted son already awake, sitting in the living room reading her books. Judging from the pile sitting on the floor next to the couch, He had read almost half of them already.

"Have trouble sleeping last night?" Momo asked him as she stepped around the book piles and sat on the couch next to him. She almost sat on the Linus's iPod, which the boy had propped against his hip. The boy looked up at her.

"I had a horrible dream last night," Linus told her.

"Really?" Momo asked.

"Yes. I dreamt that the Horned King was my dad, and that he wanted me to inherit the Earth that he destroyed with his army of zombies."

"Yikes. Perhaps the Black Cauldron was a mistake." Momo said. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. "Don't sweat it kiddo. Everyone has nightmares. Lord knows I have some bad ones. Anyway, just how many of these books did you read?"

She picked a book off of one of the piles. "You read all of my Boogiepop books?"

"Uh huh. Those were really funky."

"They certainly are. What are you reading now?" Momo leaned over and looked at the book he was reading, which he was already close to finishing. "You're reading Dune now?"

"Yeah."

Momo looked over the book piles, reading the titles on their spines. He had read quite a variety, including many of her foreign ones.

"You really read all of these in just one night?"

The boy nodded and looked back down at his current novel.

"You're a real speed reader." Momo got up and walked toward the kitchen. "When you're done with that book, I want you to put the rest of these back where you found them, okay?"

"Okay Mom," Linus said. Momo stepped into the kitchen and readied two bowls of hot rice, and broke two raw eggs into each one. She stirred them with chopsticks and brought them into the living room. She was surprised to find the boy leaning down near the bookshelf, using his vectors to put the books back. The books seemed to float around from her viewpoint.

"Look's like Hogwarts in here," Momo commented. She sat their breakfast on the side table.

"Huh?"

"Guess you didn't get to those yet?" A look of horror flashed on her features. She pointed to a separate bookshelf. "You didn't read any of those over there did you?"

The boy looked over to where she pointed. "No."

"Good. Do me a favor and don't. Those...are not for kids."

"Why not?"

"They're...romance novels. Romance novels of a very...graphic nature."

"Graphic? They have pictures?"

"No. By graphic, I mean...really really descriptive."

Linus thought about her words, and it eventually dawned on him.

"You mean they're erotic novels?" He asked.

"...Yes," Momo answered sheepishly.

"Well, I don't know if I can promise that," The boy said. "Now I'm kind of curious."

"Well then, I'll just have to hide them."

After eating their breakfast, Momo quickly moved her naughty novels to the back of her bedroom closet. She then discarded her robe, put on regular clothes, and headed back downstairs. She found the boy already starting on the second Dune book.

"It would appear," Momo said, "That you found your activity for the day."

"Mmm hmm." The boy replied. He was already engrossed with his next book.

"Enjoy yourself then. I'll be in my room."

Momo went back up to her bedroom and sat at her computer. It was time for her to send in her first report on her progress to the higher ups. A condition of her assignment to the boy was to send in weekly reports on him, or any immediate reports if something serious happened.

"Okay," She said as she cracked her knuckles. "Let's get this over with."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day, a knock sounded at Kakuzawa's office door.

"Come in," he said. Doctor Nousou entered the room carrying a folder.

"One of your agents," he said, "managed to grab a copy of Kuroki's first report to the Cabinet."

"Excellent," the director said. "Why are you so nervous?"

"It's just that..." Nousou stammered as he handed his employer the folder. "She, uh...Kuroki...gave the boy a name."

Kakuzawa's eyes narrowed. "She gave him a name?" Nousou nodded. The director opened the folder and read the report.

"Let's see," Kakuzawa said. He began skimmed over the formal introductions and began reading the important parts out loud. "The Diclonius has proven to be very intelligent and so far, trustworthy. I have placed limits and rules on him, and he has thus far obeyed them. He has not hurt or even touched anybody in town with his vectors, as I have forbidden him to use them outside of the house. He has also responded well to the name I have given him. With that said, the Diclonius, heretofore known as Li..." The director trailed off and looked up at Nousou, who braced himself.

"Linus?" Kakuzawa growled. "That ignorant little fool named my son, the Adam to the new race...Linus?"

"I'm afraid so sir." Nousou said.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

That evening, Linus continued to read books while his adoptive mother did her evening exercise routine in her bedroom. He had finished every novel that Momo had, not counting the erotic ones, so he started reading books with pictures, as well as her manga collections. Eventually, he came across a photo album. It was of Momo at various ages and in many different places with different people, mostly her family.

"Found something interesting, did you?" Momo asked him. She walked down the stairs wearing her exercise leggings and tank top, covered in sweat.

"Did you finish already," Linus asked. He looked at the clock on the wall. "It's 7:30?"

"Time flies when you're reading. And now it seems like you're looking through my photos."

"Yeah," He said. He pointed at a picture. "Is this you in America?" Momo sat down next to him and leaned over to get a better look.

"Oh yeah," She said. "Student exchange program in Chicago. I spent a year there. This picture is in Millennium park."

"What about these ones?" The page he flipped to contained pictures of Momo and her parents on vacation. "How old were you in these?"

"Nine, nearly ten. We spent just over two weeks on the beach."

"Whose this girl with you in this one?" The picture he pointed to was of nine year old Momo sitting on a stone wall wearing a swimsuit and holding a shockingly large water gun. She was sitting with an older girl, clearly high school age. She had long light brown hair, chestnut brown eyes, and a beautiful smile.

"That's Saori." Momo said. "She was a friend I made down there. We only knew each other for those two weeks but we grew really close in short time."

"She looks really nice."

"She is. I really ought to look her up sometime and give her a call. God, I can't believe it's been twenty years since then."

Linus turned another page and pointed to a family picture of Momo at thirteen years old with her parents. Each of her parents held a newborn baby girl.

"This was taken just after my sisters were born." Momo said. "Fuyuko and Natsuko. Identical twins."

"They're so cute!" Linus cooed. He turned more pages and saw a lot more family pictures. Eventually, Linus noticed pictures with just Momo and her sisters, but the parents were missing.

"Where did your mom and dad go?" He asked. Momo's smile faded.

"They...died," Momo said. Linus's eyes suddenly lost their happy shine.

"Yeah," she continued, "they passed on about seven years ago."

"What happened?"

"Mom had been fighting brain cancer for about three years. One day she just...lost the battle. Dad took it really hard. We tried to be there for him but he just couldn't handle her death. Nine days after she went, Dad jumped in a bottle and drank himself to death."

Linus's eyes started to water, but he held back the urge to cry. "What about your sisters? Who is taking care of them?"

"I took care of them. When Mom and Dad died, I raised them myself for about two years."

"Only two years? Where are they now?"

Momo hesitated. She tried hard to hold back the tears, but it was difficult. She could not keep Linus from noticing them, or from putting two and two together. He was a smart little boy. She decided that it would be simpler to just explain it to him.

"Do you know what rape is?" She asked him.

Linus considered it for a moment. "Sexual intercourse without consent?"

"Yes," Momo said. She then explained to him what had happened those five long years ago, about how an unknown rapist broke into their house while she was out, tortured and violated her little sisters, and then murdered them in front of her when she returned. Tears fell down Linus's face as she told him the story, and her own tears soon followed.

"Did the police ever get that monster?" Linus asked.

"No," Momo growled.

"What? Why not?"

Momo stood up and started pacing the floor. Her voice rose, and she began venting her frustration.

"Because he fucking disappeared, and I mean off the face of the Earth. I gave the police his description, I called in favors to track him down, I checked with law enforcement agencies in other countries for him, I even walked the seediest parts of town in hopes of bumping into him, but I got nothing. It's like he never existed."

Momo began to break down, and she sat back down on the couch putting her hands in her face. After a moment, she spoke again.

"I was supposed to protect them," She said through her sobs, "and I completely blew it. Not only couldn't I save them, but I couldn't even find the bastard who...who..."

Linus leaned over and hugged Momo tightly, which calmed her down somewhat. She hugged the Diclonius back, and their crying slowly abated.

"I'm sorry," Linus said. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't be." Momo said. "You have nothing to be sorry about."


	13. Chapter 12: Preparations

Chapter 12

Preparations.

Arakawa stared at her computer screen in aggravation. She had hit a dead end in her research on the silpelit virus. Her screen was displaying an analysis on Lucy's DNA, and comparing it to the genetic structures of several silpelits and the virus itself. After a long month of research, she came to the only conclusion she could.

"There's something missing," she said. "The virus is incomplete."

The one piece of good news that she had was that she figured out what was the virus was missing, and where it could be found. She decided that she would present her findings to the Director soon. Finally she had something to give him.

Arakawa got up to grab a bite to eat. Upon stepping out into the hallway, she almost bumped into one of the facility's new guards.

"Oh," She yelped, "Excuse me." The guard moved on without a word.

In response to the high casualty rate of the security guards at the institute, not to mention the many SAT soldiers who died trying to capture Lucy, Kakuzawa had requested funding to hire a private security force to take their place, a group called Guardian International. Arakawa could tell that they were experienced professionals, though they were not as sociable as the original security guards.

_I certainly wouldn't want to be alone with any of them, _She thought.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

For several weeks, Kakuzawa slowly began putting a plan into motion to get back his son. Since Kuroki was watching him under orders of the government itself, using a Special Assault Team was not an option this time. What was more distressing was that the rest of her family, at least those with political pull, were still digging for answers, and he did not know how much longer he could keep them away from the truth.

To make matters worse, each new report that Kuroki sent regarding the male Diclonius indicated that she had all but completely tamed him, causing some government members to begin questioning the institute's claims about the true nature of the Diclonii and the threat they supposedly pose. It was time for action. A knock sounded at the Director's office door.

"Come in," He said.

The door opened, and The Hunter stepped up to his desk. He was a tall man dressed head to toe in black. He wore a long black trench coat, sunglasses, combat boots, and a hat from which his long dark hair fell. He carried a sadistic grin wherever he went.

"Been a while since we last spoke in person, hasn't it?" The Hunter asked.

"Of course," Kakuzawa said. "These are sensitive times. I can't let the world know that we're related."

"I understand that," The Hunter said. "Keeping a low profile is just so boring."

"Well you won't have to stay in hiding much longer," Kakuzawa said. "Because if you pull this mission off, there will be no one left who knows of your existence outside of this family."

"So you're finally sending me after her?"

"Not just her." Kakuzawa slid a photograph across his desk, which the Hunter picked up. It was a surveillance photo of Kuroki walking down the streets of Nagoya with a boy who was wearing a bucket hat.

"Ah, so this is your kid?" The Hunter asked. "That tank of yours really did its job."

"Or close enough," Kakuzawa said. "I want him alive and unharmed, but I'm sure you already know that."

"He is a Diclonius," the Hunter said. "I may have to get rough, but I promise that there will be no permanent damage."

"There had better not be. And as for Kuroki, I want her dead, and you had better not fool around with her. After what you did to her sisters, she will not hesitate to kill you."

"She won't get a chance to hesitate."

"You know, it's funny," Kakuzawa said, "Momo Kuroki was an effective SAT officer. If the circumstances were different, I probably would have sent her to capture Lucy."

"Oh please," the Hunter said, "She might survive longer than most, but Lucy would slash her to ribbons, a sight I would pay to see."

"So would I. In any case, she has to die now." Another knock sounded at the door, and the Director called them in. A scar faced Russian in a formal suit entered and walked up to the desk.

"Who's this guy?" The Hunter asked.

"Colonel Sergei Sokolov," the Russian said. "Commanding Officer of Hunter Seeker."

"Ah," the Hunter said. "I've heard of Hunter Seeker. You have a reputation for live capture."

"And killing anyone who stands between our targets," Sokolov said.

"Colonel Sokolov," the director continued, "is here in case you fail. It's not that I don't have faith in your abilities, but I can't take any chances on this one. Not when we're so close."

"So he's your insurance," the Hunter said. "Does the government know that you hired a second 'private security' team?"

"Of course not," Kakuzawa said. "I'm paying this group under the table. Now, Colonel Sokolov."

"Sir?" The Colonel said.

"How many men do you have at your disposal?"

"Sixty, sir. More than enough to kill a woman and capture a small boy."

"Good. You will need them. And do not show the woman any mercy at all." Kakuzawa pulled a file out of his desk drawer and slid over to Sokolov. "Here's everything you need to know about her." Sokolov picked up the file and flipped through it.

"Fire-breather?" Sokolov asked.

"It's a nickname that her old unit gave her," Kakuzawa said.

Why Fire-breather'" The Russian asked. "Does she have bad breath or something?"

"No," the Hunter said, "They called her that because she killed a terrorist with a dragon's breath shotgun shell once."

"Huh ho," The Russian soldier laughed. "I like her already."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It had been over a month since Nozomi had first arrived at the Maple Inn. Since then, she spent nearly every bit of her free time there either studying with Yuka, or practicing her singing, which proved to be a welcome distraction when it came to daily chores.

Kouta headed into the bathroom with his cleaning supplies. He left the door open so he could hear Nozomi's beautiful voice while performed the most gruesome chore in the house. With her singing, he swiftly finished cleaning the toilet and the sink, and he moved on to the bathtub. He bent over to start scrubbing it when someone grabbed him from behind.

"NYUUU!"

"Ghaaaaa!" Kouta screamed. "Nyu!" As she clung to him, he realized that she was not wearing any clothes again. Her bare breasts rubbed against his back, causing him to blush furiously. As much as he wanted to return her advances, he still could not let himself do it, not until her other side came out again.

"Uh, Nyu," he stammered. "It's not bath time right now! I'm cleaning the tub!"

"Kouta!" Nyu said. "Cuddle!"

"Nyu," Kouta said, "Not now! Nyu! Please get off of me!"

Kouta tried to stand up, but Nyu's weight caused him to lose balance and fall to his knees. Nyu still clung to him, rubbing her chest against him. He began crawling toward the door, calling for help.

"Hey Nana! Mayu! Anyone, I need some help! Nyu's doing it again!"

"Kouta!" Nyu said. "Nyu need Kouta! Kouta! Please!"

Kouta stopped crawling, as he started to get incredibly aroused. He bowed his head down to the floor, trying to resist her. His mind once again went back to the happy days he spent with her eight years ago. He remembered the aftermath of the little "water war," they had with each other, and when they waited for their clothes to dry afterward. She had leaned up against him much like she was doing right now.

"I'll never forget today Kouta," she had said. "Not for the rest of my life." Then she leaned in and placed her chin on his bare shoulder. The memory was emotionally overwhelming to Kouta. He lifted his head and looked over his shoulder at her beautiful face, which was almost as red as his was. Her lips were very close to his.

He was on the verge of succumbing to his urges when Nana and Mayu came in.

"Nyu!" Nana said. "Not this again! Why do you keep doing this?"

"Come on," Mayu said. "Let's get her off before Yuka sees this."

Nana and Mayu each took one of Nyu's arms and pulled her off.

"Let's get you some clothes, Nyu," Mayu said.

Kouta dropped his head back down on the floor and waited for his 'arousal' to die down.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Linus wiped the wooden surface of the table as hard as he could with the wet rag. While his mother was cleaning the upstairs rooms, starting with the bathroom, She had him cleaning the surfaces of all of the countertops in the kitchen and living room. Although he already knew the meaning of the word tedium, he did not truly understand it until today.

_Yeesh, house cleaning is so boring! _

He looked at the bottom of his rag and inspected the grime and dust clinging to it.

"Dust," He said, thinking out loud. "Just tiny little dirt particles, clinging to everything they touch. Particles, just like my vectors. Hmmmmm."

An idea hit upon the young Diclonius. He tossed the rag into the sink and summoned two of his vectors. He rubbed them on the kitchen counter, but was disappointed when all that did was push the dust off of it.

"Particles." Linus stared at one of his vectors and concentrated on the molecules that made it up. He began vibrating them, and moving them around in different directions within the phantom limb. The faint hum that they produced rose and fell in pitch very slightly as he did this. Although he could not see the tiny molecules, he could somehow feel them. He wiped the counter again and focused on capturing dust between his vector particles. His second attempt was a success, as the arm was now grey with dust, and the counter was colorful and spotless.

"Score!"

He repeated this feat with the rest of the kitchen, rubbing his vectors on the chairs, drawers, refrigerator, lights, cabinets, doors, anything that he could reach. He even reached under the oven and cleansed it of the grime that had built up under it. Before long, his arms were opaque with at least a month's worth of filth. The kitchen was perfectly clean.

"I am a genius!" Linus pulled a fresh trash bag from the pantry and fed all of the scooped up muck into it, then moved on to the living room. He repeated this action and wiped down everything in sight. His vectors were completely visible with dust, some of which had built up in some very difficult to reach places.

"Ewwwww."

The bathroom door opened and Momo walked down the stairs holding a mop, wearing a bandana and an old t-shirt she used specifically for housework.

"Glad that's over..." Momo said. She stopped halfway down the stairs when she saw Linus's new cleaning method, dropping the mop. "Linus...what the hey?"

Linus looked up at his filth covered arms and smiled.

"Isn't this great?" He asked. "This is way easier than using a rag!"

Momo stood there with her mouth agape, staring at the Diclonius's vectors. She slowly continued her walk down the stairs.

"How...how are you doing that?"

"It's actually really easy." Linus explained. "All I did was move the particles in my..." He suddenly stepped in a trashcan and fell on his face.

"Ow," Linus pulled himself up, and was more than a little horrified when he saw that his vectors had dissipated when he fell. Momo, as well as much of the space around her, was covered in the filth that he had just dropped. Momo stood there with an aggravated expression. She reached up and wiped the grime from her eyes.

"Oh, no," Linus said. "I am so sorry. That was a...an accident..."

Momo held up her hands and composed herself.

"Okay," She growled. "Here's what's gonna happen. I am going back up there to take a shower in the tub I just cleaned. While I'm doing that, I want you to clean up all of the mess that didn't land on me." Linus nodded immediately. "After I'm done, I want you to go upstairs and clean up whatever filth gets stuck in the tub, as well as the drain. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Linus squeaked.

"Good." She turned on her heal and marched up the stairs.


	14. Chapter 13: Vector Experiments

**In this chapter, Arakawa reveals the final secret of the vector virus. Meanwhile, Linus uses his knowledge of physics and thermodynamics to discover the hidden potential of a Diclonius's power.**

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

Chapter 13

Vector Experiments.

Arakawa stepped into the Director's office. This was a different day for her, as she walked in with an air of confidence and pride. Today, she finally had some good news to bring her new employer, or at least good in the sense that he would not shoot her, for she had reason to believe that she had unlocked the final secret of the Diclonius virus.

"From the look on your face," Kakuzawa said, "I trust that you have finally brought me something."

"Yes I have," Arakawa said. "It's only a theory at this point, but I'm sure you will find it sound."

She handed him a few sheets of paper. The director inspected them. The pages contained genetic information on Lucy, Silpelits, the virus, and the male Diclonius. They were able to obtain DNA samples of the male from blood samples left behind when he cut himself on the pieces of his destroyed aging tank when he broke free.

"I've looked over the gene structures of the silpelits and the two fertile Diclonni, Lucy and your son. For convenience's sake, I will just call those two "monarch" Diclonni from this point forward. As you can see on this page, Lucy's gene structure possesses the alleles that allow fertility, whereas the silpelits' do not. Your son also possesses these alleles."

"Go on," Kakuzawa said.

"One thing that the monarchs have in common with the other silpelits is that they possess this gene here," Arakawa pointed to a spot on the page, "that grants them their vectors. When you look at the structure of the virus, you will see that this gene is also present, but that it is lacking in the fertility alleles."

Arakawa shifted focus to the page on the male Diclonius's genes.

"Now the important part," she continued. "I have reason to believe that the reason the silpelit virus lacks the fertility chromosome is because the virus is incomplete."

Kakuzawa's eyes grew wide with interest. "Incomplete?"

"Yes. I think that the virus Lucy and the silpelits spread through their vectors is only one half of a complete virus. I theorize that your son's vectors possess the other half. A male silpelit virus. I think that the male virus possesses the chromosomes needed for fertility, but might not have the gene that enables the use of vectors."

"So if you're theory is true," the director interjected, "a male silpelit would be fully fertile, but completely powerless?"

"That's what I believe to be the case." Arakawa said.

"Hmm. Just as the female silpelits are soldier bees, unable to breed, capable only of killing, the males are the drones, living only to mate with the queen, but lacking a stinger to defend themselves."

"One further point," Arakawa said. "I believe that if your average human male were infected with both strains of the virus, the male and female, then the virus would compete itself, and any resulting children he sires from then on would be monarch Diclonii, potentially of any gender, fully fertile, and possessing vectors."

The Director grinned widely. "Excellent work, Arakawa. It would seem that recruiting you has finally paid off." Arakawa chuckled nervously. "Now all we need to do is regain my son, and we can see if this theory of yours is accurate. Thank you Arakawa, you are dismissed."

Arakawa turned to leave, but the Chief stopped her.

"Wait, just a minute. When you were examining the 'monarchs' DNA, did you discover anything...interesting?"

Arakawa started to get nervous again. The truth was that when she compared the DNA of the two monarchs, she had discovered something surprising. She turned and looked back at the director.

"Yes," she finally said, "When I compared the DNA of Lucy and your son...I found that...a surprisingly high number of their genes match. Twenty five percent of them match, in fact."

"And what do you infer from that?"

Arakawa gulped. "That the two of them are...related."

"Indeed they are," Kakuzawa said. "Uterine siblings in fact."

"Uterine siblings," Arakawa repeated. "They...share the same mother?" She began shivering again. She got the feeling that she discovered something that she should not have.

"Indeed they do," Kakuzawa said. "Thank you, Arakawa, you can go now." The uptight scientist left quickly.

_Dammit, _She thought, _If I don't stop digging this hole, I'll never be able to climb out of it. _

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Linus woke up at around eight, the usual time. He picked his iPod off of his nightstand and played his favorite song, Little Broken Hearts, at low volume. He stretched his arm and began playing with his vectors. Over the last couple of days, he had been wondering what else he could do with them since the day that he cleaned the house with Momo. He held up a vector and moved its molecules again.

"Air is made of of molecules," He observed. He focused and began moving air between his vector particles. It was much stranger than he was expecting, as he realized that he could some how "feel" the air particles touching those of his arms. He had felt the dust particles when he cleaned house the other day, but he was not expecting air particles to feel so...tangible.

"This is so bizarre."

He got out of bed and grabbed his iPod, hitting pause. He headed out of his room in time to see a sweaty Momo heading into the bathroom. She was clad in her exercise clothes. "Morning kiddo," She said.

"Good morning mom," Linus greeted. "All done with your morning workout?"

"Yep." She headed straight into the bathroom and closed the door. Linus heard her turn the shower on as his foot hit the bottom stair. In the kitchen he poured himself a glass of water and set it on the table. He bent down and looked into the glass as he inserted his vector's index finger into it. He moved the particles in the finger in a circular motion and watched a small whirlpool spin within the cup.

"Cool."

He pulled the water up through his finger and moved it throughout his arm. He formed the water into a ball and tossed it up in the air. As it came down, he caught it with another vector and stretched it out through the limb. For ten minutes, he played with the water, making amusing shapes with it. He held the water up in the air above him. He was so enamored with it that he did not notice Momo walk up next to him.

"New trick?" She asked, looking up at the ball of water..

Her sudden words startled the Diclonius, causing him to lose focus on his vectors. The water landed right on Momo's head, rewetting the hair she had just dried and soaking her shirt. Linus grew flustered and tried to apologize, but all that came out was nervous stammering.

"Don't freak out," Momo groaned. "This is nothing compared to cleaning day. I'll just go grab a towel." She headed out of the kitchen and walked back upstairs. Linus regained his normal breathing and made himself some breakfast. As he sat down, Momo came back into the kitchen. She was holding something behind her back, and a mischievous grin on her face.

"By the way Linus," she said, "Did I ever show you my favorite childhood toy?"

"Um, no," He squeaked.

"Good, then this will be a new experience for you." From behind her back she pulled a surprisingly large water gun, one that Linus recognized from Momo's photo album, and pointed it at him. She blasted him with a large volume of water before he could object, firing from the hip. Linus sat there wide eyed, soaking wet.

"Cool toy," he said.

Momo laughed her head off. "You face looks just like Saori's when I soaked her with it."

"Did she spill water on you too?" Linus asked.

"No, she just called me a gun-happy goofball. My response didn't exactly prove her wrong, but it was worth it. Anyway, we're even now." She dried off her adopted ward with a towel.

"I guess I'll take a shower after breakfast." Linus said.

After his shower, Linus decided to continue testing his powers. He went back to his room and sat on his bed. He moved the air through his arms in many different directions for several minutes, and came up with another idea when his mind wandered into the laws of thermodynamics. He focused the air particles on the outer surfaces of two of his vectors and vibrated them rapidly. He carefully touched the vectors together, and the collision started a fire that clung to his vectors.

"Whoa!" Linus exclaimed. "Hey mom! MOM!" Linus heard rapid footfalls charge up the stairs, and Momo burst through the door.

"Holy shit!" She said when she saw the flaming hands. She bolted from the room.

"Hey, where are you going?" Linus shouted. He looked at the flaming hands with wonder. To him, they were a beautiful sight to behold. "This is so cool." Seconds later, Momo charged back in brandishing her water gun. "No! Mom, wait..."

Linus was blasted with another barrage of water, dousing his vectors and soaking him to the bone. The fire he made with his mind had been extinguished.

"Are you okay, Linus?" Momo asked. "Where did that fire come from?"

Linus spat out water before answering. "I made it with my vectors."

"Say what?"

"Yeah, and frankly, I think I could have put it out without getting hosed again."

"Oh," Momo said sheepishly. "Well you still shouldn't play with fire. You could have burned the house down."

"Fair enough," Linus moaned.

"How did you do that anyway?"

"I heated the air. Just...fwoosh."

"Can you do it again? I want to see it for myself."

"Do you promise not to spray me again?"

Momo grinned. "As long as you don't set the bed on fire."

"Okay," Linus manifested another vector and concentrated. Within five seconds, another hand of flame appeared between them. Momo was amazed. Linus moved the flaming fingers one at a time. Momo moved her hand close to it, feeling the heat it it emitted.

"Wow," Momo said, "you'd be a real hit at parties. So, can you put it out?" Linus dissipated his vector, and the fire swiftly vanished. "Guess I didn't have to spray you after all. Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Linus said. I'll just dry myself off and change clothes."

Later that evening, Momo and Linus were watching Samurai Fiction when the little Diclonius had to go to the bathroom. She paused the movie, and the child went upstairs. She was wondering how to put his new abilities into words for her next report when Linus beckoned her.

"Hey mom." He said. Momo looked up to see Linus with a vector full of water, the translucent liquid seemingly undulating in midair. The hand shape disappeared as the water was shot at her, drenching her to the bone. "Now we're even again!" Linus grabbed his abdomen and fell over, unable to hold back his laughter. He was laughing so hard, that he did not notice his mother get up from the sofa and retrieve her water gun. When he finally calmed down, he noticed that she was standing up with the gun aimed at him.

"Yeah," She said with a mischievous smile, "We're even. But not for long."

"Uh oh," Linus said. For the rest of the night, the two of them chased each other through the house. By the end of it, both were soaking wet, and the score was tied once again.


	15. Chapter 14: The Monster Returns

Chapter 14

The Monster Returns.

Momo and Linus spent the day having fun around town, and returned home after dark. The little Diclonius was just finishing up an ice cream cone. As they got up to the front door, Momo bent down and wiped the chocolate dairy product off her horned ward's mouth.

"For such a smart kid," she said, "eating ice cream that way was incredibly stupid."

Linus smiled. "It's more fun when I eat it like Godzilla."

"If you ate it normally though," Momo countered, "you wouldn't have gotten those brain freezes."

"It was worth it!"

After wiping off his mouth, Momo unlocked the door and turned on the lights.

"Yeah, well if you keep that up, you'll get a brain freeze so intense you're face will freeze like this." She made a face at him like she had been stabbed in the head, and Linus began cracking up."

"Oh no," he laughed. "If that happened, I'd have to wear a hat AND a mask!"

"At least you have some sense of foresight," Momo chuckled. "Now go get ready for bed."

"Okay." Linus headed upstairs and into his bedroom.

He turned on the lights and began his usual bath ritual, pulling his underwear and pajamas out of his dresser drawers. He went no farther than that though, as a thumping noise from his closet diverted his attention.

"Oh no," He said, "Not another rat."

Linus pulled a large blanket off of his bed and held it ready to hold any vermin he spotted. He got close to the door, and pulled it open with one of his vectors. He immediately realized that the blanket he was holding was not going to do him any good at all.

"Who are you?" He asked.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Momo was sifting through the refrigerator when a scream from upstairs caught her attention. For a second, she assumed Linus came across another cockroach, until she heard the sounds that came after. She heard a loud thump, followed by his bedroom door opening, and the sound of Linus running upstairs and calling out to her in terror. She pulled out her pistol the instant she heard the sounds of heavy footfalls pursuing her son's lighter steps.

_Someone's here!_

As she charged up the stairs, she heard that the chase ended in her bedroom. She heard a softer thump, immediately followed by Linus screaming at the top of his lungs. She charged through the door in time to see a man in a black trench coat and matching hat picking Linus up off of the floor by his shirt. He then shifted his grip to hold him by the neck with his arm as he turned to face her. When she saw his face, she immediately recognized him, and would have shot him dead in a blink if he wasn't holding Linus hostage.

"You!" She exclaimed.

"Long time no see, Kuroki," He said. He had the same evil smile from five years ago, the grin of a true monster.

The unknown man was holding Linus by the neck in his arm, just like he did with Fuyuko. Linus was crying, whimpering in pain, and Momo could easily see why. There was something jutting from his shirt just below his ribs. It appeared to be an iron ball covered in spikes; a bloodstain tarnished his t-shirt. The man was holding a small crossbow armed with another spiked ball up in Momo's direction.

"How's that adorable little sister of yours?" The man taunted. "Did you manage to save her?"

Kuroki felt the rage building in her. It took every ounce of her training to keep it from overwhelming her. She could barely hold back the tears in her eyes when she thought about that horrible day.

"Don't you dare bring her into this!" she said.

"I guess not then. Too bad really. She was a real cutie, and I could have gone another round. I always feel a little frisky at times like this."

_Stay calm, Momo! _She thought. _He's baiting you, trying to provoke you! Focus on getting Linus first, and killing the hell out of him second._

"First my sisters," she said, "and now Linus? Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?!"

"Your sisters were just for fun," The man said. "Back then, I just wanted to hurt you and your damn family. This time, I'm just here to take the boy away."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Linus was in unbelievable agony. Even though he was only hit in his torso, he could feel intense burning shooting throughout his entire body. The best way he could think to describe it would be liquid fire running through his veins.

"What do you want with him?" Kuroki demanded. "Do you rape little boys too?"

"Of course not," the intruder said, "This is just business. "

"Business? For whom?"

"None of yours."

_Her sisters?, _Linus thought. _Oh no! Is this the guy who...?_

"Mommy..." Linus cried.

"Just hang on," Momo said. "I won't let him take you, I swear!"

Linus tried to wiggle out of the intruder's arm, but his grip was too tight, and the pain was too intense, so intense that he was unable to summon is vectors. He wanted to believe Momo so badly, but he could not ignore the fear he heard in her voice. She was just as scared as he was.

"Do me a favor kid," the intruder said, "and quit squirming. In fact, go ahead and pass out. No one will hold it against you."

"You shut your fucking mouth!" Momo demanded.

"What are you going to do if I don't?" The intruder asked.

Even through the pain, Linus could do the math. Both Momo and the intruder had weapons on each other, Momo her pistol, and the assailant, a crossbow. The intruder had the advantage, because he had a hostage, meaning Momo would not dare shoot him. There was nothing protecting Momo from the sadist's crossbow. Linus felt he had to do something.

The Diclonius had an idea, but it required the use of his vectors, or at least one. He closed his eyes and tried to summon it, but the pain intensified and he relented.

"Whatever happens here," Momo said, "you are not walking out of my house this time! Especially not with my son!"

_Son? _Linus thought. _She called me her son! _With renewed resolve, he tried once more to call forth his power.

"He's not your son!"

"Yes I am!" Linus said. The intruder tightened his grip to silence his hostage.

Linus clenched his eyes shut and put all of his willpower into summoning a vector.

_Come on_, He thought. _Just one arm! Just one!_

He managed to summon two.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I hear you're pretty fast, Kuroki," The unknown man said as he raised his crossbow to Momo's face, "I would personally like to test it out." Momo brought up her pistol, but then quickly put it back into her jacket. With Linus in the line of fire, it would be better to try another approach. She shifted into a combat stance. The unknown man lowered his weapon slightly, pointing it to her torso.

_He's here to take Linus alive,_ Momo thought. _He won't kill him, at least I don't think he will. If I can grab him, he'll have no choice but to let Linus go if he hopes to get me off of him. He's only got one shot with that thing right now. I just have to dodge at just the right moment._

"You'd better hit me," Momo growled, "because if you miss, you're fucked!"

Both of their attentions were quickly diverted to Linus, who started groaning very loudly. The unknown man tightened his arm muscles.

"Shut up kid. I'm concentrating."

Momo was getting increasingly uneasy with Linus's cries. It seemed that the pain was getting worse. She was getting more and more tempted to pull her gun back out and risk shooting the rapist's leg until she heard the faint but familiar sound of Linus's vectors vibrating.

"I thought I told you to shut..."

The unknown man's words were interrupted when the young mutant slammed his vector into the floor with full force, causing it to collapse beneath the them. The intruder screamed in astonishment as he fell into the Laundry room below. He lost his grip on Linus, who rolled over about two meters away, squealing as the iron ball pushed itself deeper into him.

"You little shit," The unknown man groaned. He quickly remembered the threat one floor above. He raised his crossbow to the hole in the ceiling. He saw Momo run to the edge of the hole taking aim with her pistol. He fired his crossbow at her a split second after she shot him in his right shoulder, throwing off his aim. The iron ball impacted Momo's left shoulder, the force of the impact knocking her to the floor.

"Fuck!" Momo screamed. She quickly pulled herself up and crawled back to the hole on her knees, bringing her gun back up.

"Goddammit!" The Unknown Man cursed. He looked over to see the Diclonius curled up on the floor, squealing and whimpering. He tried to reach for him when another gunshot rang out and his hat flew off. More shots were fired at him, and his fight or flight response kicked in. Most of the bullets missed, though two of them hit their mark in the right side of his back as he made a run for the kitchen.

Momo got to her feet and ran out of her room and down the stairs, determined to intercept this bane on her existence and end him once and for all. She was astonished at how much pain she was in, and how it wasn't just localized in her shoulder, but seemed to be spreading throughout her body at an alarming rate. She made it to the bottom floor in time to see her target bolt out of the front door.

_He's fast_.

She ran out after him and saw him climbing into a black van parked on the far side of the street. She ran out to the curb and took aim with her gun. As the van began to move, she fired her last seven rounds at him. All of her bullets hit the van, but only one hit the driver, joining its sibling in the pedophile's right shoulder. Despite having four bullets in his body, the killer of Momo Kuroki's sisters managed to escape her vengeance once more.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Hunter sped through the streets of Nishi Ward. After thirteen blocks he parked the van, pulled out his cell phone, and hit number one on speed dial.

"Plan A failed!" He said through gritted teeth, gripping his wounded shoulder. "Send in the Seekers! And have 'em send me a fucking medic!"

"Roger that," said a voice on the other end of the phone. The Hunter hung up.

_Better not to tell them that she's wounded, _He thought. _They'd go easy on her if I did. _

He put pressure on his wounded shoulder and pressed his back hard into the car seat.

"I hope they make it slow," He groaned, "you worthless Kuroki cunt!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Momo ran back to the laundry room and rolled Linus over onto his back. She ignored the ball stuck in her shoulder and focused on the one in her adopted son's torso. She tried to remove it, but she couldn't get a firm hold around the spikes.

"Hang on, Linus," She groaned. "I'll be right back."

She ran into the bathroom and grabbed a bunch of towels, as well as the first aid kid she kept under the sink, and ran back to Linus. She bunched up the towels in her hands and wrapped them around the spiked ball. The towels allowed her to grip it tightly enough to pull it.

"This is gonna hurt Linus," She said, "But I need you to be strong, okay?"

Linus nodded and clenched his eyes shut.

"On the count of three," She said. "One. Two. Three!" She pulled with all of her might, and the ball came free, causing Linus to scream again. She threw the towel-wrapped ball toward the drier and got to work patching up Linus with peroxide and bandages. In less than five minutes, the young Diclonius's wound was dressed, though the pain remained.

"It still burns," Linus said.

"I know," Momo said. "I think it was coated with some kind of poison. One that causes pain. Just stay there for a second."

Momo got up and moved to the front door.

"This'll do."

She positioned the ball in the doorway and closed the door onto it, holding it tight. She pulled her shoulder as hard as she could, and the ball tore free.

"OW!" She yelled. "FUCKING HELL!"

She went back to Linus and patched herself up with the remaining peroxide and bandages.

"And I thought bear traps were inhumane," she said, "but those things were just pure evil."

"Evil," Linus agreed. He was still hurting, but he seemed to be breathing steadily now.

They both stayed there and caught their breath for several minutes, until Momo heard something that she never heard in this neighborhood: the sound of multiple engines, likely SUVs or something of similar size, coming from multiple directions and getting louder.

"Sounds like he wasn't working alone," She said. She bent down and scooped up Linus in her arms, carried him to the living room, and set the boy down on the couch. She then pulled the rug off of the floor and threw it aside.

"What are you doing?" Linus asked.

"Waking up Soupmaker," Momo answered as she pulled up several loose floorboards.

"Soupmaker?"

The veteran soldier reached into the floor and pulled out a large fanny pack and her favorite weapon, a custom Benelli M3 super 90 shotgun. It had a twenty six inch barrel, an equally long tube magazine, a classic shotgun stock and a ghost ring sight. It's most distinguishing feature was the Kuroki family emblem emblazoned on the receiver in bright gold. She opened the larger pocket on the fanny pack and pulled out several twelve gauge buckshot shells.

"I missed you," Momo whispered to the gun.

Momo pulled back the charging handle and loaded a shell into the firing chamber, then she flipped it over and loaded seven more shells into the magazine. She opened the smaller pocket on the pack and palmed a spare clip for her Grand Power K100, slamming it into the gun.

"What's all that for?" Linus asked.

"You hear those cars?" Momo asked, strapping the fanny pack to her waist. "They're coming this way. It seems that bastard had a backup plan."

"Oh goody," Linus moaned.

The car engines were getting much louder now.

Momo got up, put on her favorite leather jacket, and crouched next to Linus.

"Listen up kiddo," She said, "Things are about to get really violent here. I know you're in a lot of pain now, and so am I. But I need you to do exactly as I say when I say it, and I promise you we will get out of this alive. Okay?"

Linus nodded, and Momo sat him up. "First thing we need to do is get you behind something.

Mom guided Linus by the hand, took him to the upstairs bathroom and had him lay down on his back in the bathtub. The boy pulled his iPod out of his pocket and held it close.

"Okay," Momo said. "Stay down and don't come out no matter what you hear. I'll come and get you when this is over. And don't play any music with that thing, or they'll hear you."

"Mom," Linus said. "I'm really scared."

"Well…look on the bright side kiddo," Momo said, "Tonight, you get to stay up past your bedtime."

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

**I admit, the inspiration for Momo's shotgun came from the John Wick movies.**


	16. Chapter 15: The Start of a Long Night

Chapter 15

The Start of a Long Night

Colonel Sokolov sat in the back of the van with his technician, which was parked ten blocks to the east of their target's house. The monitors in the van displayed the cameras worn by each of his men. Their employer had requested the feed be sent to his office. There were ten monitors, each one wired to six cameras, totaling sixty soldiers. Each monitor's feed could be switched on the control panel.

All of the monitors were switched to the ten soldiers who were parking their SUVs in front of Kuroki's house. Sokolov spoke into his headset.

"Second squad," He said, "Remember your objective: The boy is to be taken alive and unharmed, an the woman is to be shot and killed on sight."

"Understood," Sargent Vasilev replied.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Two black SUVs pulled up in front of the house, and five mercenaries piled out of each one. From outside, it appeared that all of the lights in the house were off. Sargent Vasilev, the squad leader ordered Utkin to take point. Utkin kicked in the door and marched in with his submachine gun raised. His fellow soldiers filed in from behind and scattered to separate rooms.

Utkin marched upstairs into the left bedroom. This room was definitely the kid's room, though he was not there. The only unusual thing he saw there was a blanket pinned to the wall by a spiked ball. He guessed that "plan A" must have missed his first shot.

Privates Nikolaev, Voronin, and Zika searched the living room. Zika swore when he stepped in a hole in the floor, but quickly recomposed himself. "What's that for?" He asked in Russian.

"Look's like someone pulled up some floorboards," Nikolaev observed.

Zima, Sobel, and Portnov swept the kitchen, and were stunned when they hit the laundry room. There was a lot of debris on the floor. They looked up to see a large hole in the ceiling, and the silhouette of their target looking down at them. She fired three shotgun blasts in rapid succession. The Russians dropped like sandbags.

Corporal Popov kicked in the door to Kuroki's bedroom. She stood and turned to face him, shooting his head off with her favorite weapon. As two more soldiers came in and began firing, their target jumped down the hole in the floor and leapt into the kitchen. She turned the table on its side and took cover behind it. She managed to load one shell into her shotgun before the remaining mercenaries positioned themselves at the kitchen entrance, and one of them opened fire. Several bullets pierced the table, narrowly missing her.

"Cease fire!" Vasilev said in Russian. The soldier complied, and Vasilev switched in English. "I don't speak Japanese. Do you speak English, woman?"

"Among other things, yes," Momo said in Russian. She loaded more shells into her shotgun while things were calm.

"Oh good," Vasilev said in Russian, "That will make things easier. Why don't you tell me where the boy is?"

"What boy?" Momo asked. "Be specific please."

"The boy with the horns. We know you have him. Where is he?

"Oh, him. What do you want with him?"

"That is irrelevant. Just hand him..." The Sargent screamed when Momo jumped up and blasted the wall he was hiding behind.

_I goddamn hate it when people give me that answer._

She bolted for the laundry room again when the soldiers resumed firing at her, but she made a sharp turn back when she spotted the two other soldiers from earlier aiming down the hole in the ceiling. She barely avoided getting riddled with holes when they fired down at her. She ducked down behind a counter, squeezing herself tightly behind it. She cringed when her wounded shoulder pressed against the wall.

_Almost got a taste of my own medicine there. Guess these guys aren't idiots._

The soldier firing into the kitchen stopped to reload. Momo seized the opportunity and fired at him, nailing him in the knee. He fell over screaming.

"Kill her!" Vasilev screamed. Judging from the strain in his voice, Momo inferred that her buckshot did some real damage. Had the wall not been there, she may have killed him.

_He's pissed. _Momo thought. A loud thud came from the laundry room. _Oh shit. _She took aim, and fired as a soldier charged in. Buckshot hit him square in the chest, knocking him into the wall. He wheezed once, and then died. She heard the Russians talking in the other room.

"She just got Mikhailov."

"How bad is it Voronin?"

"Not good. She got my knee."

Momo peaked around the corner. One of the soldiers had a gun trained on her hiding spot. The guy she kneecapped was no longer in sight. Apparently, one of his buddies had moved him. The soldier with the gun fired a shot when he spotted her, hitting the counter and forcing her to pull her head back.

_Only one thing I can do now._

Momo gripped her shotgun in her left hand and slowly pulled her handgun from her jacket with the right. She fired the pistol around the corner, hopefully throwing the gunman off balance if nothing else. She got up and turned into the laundry room, firing up into the hole in the ceiling. The man upstairs ducked for cover, and momo took up a position, waiting for him to reappear. She quickly pocketed the pistol and brought up her shotgun. She had to lunge forward when she heard footsteps coming from the kitchen.

She moved away from the doorway right as the soldier from earlier fired from the kitchen. When she did, she heard the soldier upstairs get to his feet and move up to the hole's edge. She could not see him from her current angle, but from the sound of his footfalls, She could make a reasonable guess at his position. She stepped one pace to the left and fired three shots directly above her. The man upstairs screamed and fell down the hole. She finished him off with one shot to the head, which blew apart like a watermelon.

The soldier in the kitchen lost his composure and was about to charge into the laundry room.

"Utkin," Vasilev shouted. "Don't be stupid. Fall back and regroup."

The one called Utkin calmed himself down and walked back out of the kitchen, keeping his gun trained on the laundry room. Momo waited a moment and peaked out the doorway. No soldiers were in sight. She reloaded her shotgun and slung it over her shoulder, then climbed on top of the washing machine. She wormed her way back up into her bedroom through the hole, an awkward maneuver, especially with her shoulder in the shape that it was. Nevertheless she pulled it off.

"Ow," She mumbled. She moved to her bedroom door and risked a peak outside. The house was dark; she only had the light of the moon outside to help her see.

_Looks like they didn't get into the bathroom yet,_ She thought. _Good. _

A light turned on downstairs. It was the living room light.

_They're giving away their position? Are they that stupid? No, no they're not. They want me to think that they are. They want ME to do get cocky and do something stupid. Do they know that I'm up here now though, or do they think I'm still downstairs?" _

She saw shadows moving across the wall. Judging from the way they were moving, at least one of them was coming up the stairs very slowly. He or they were being very careful not to make too much noise. She moved back and hid behind the bedroom door. She ran through the scenarios in her head.

_Okay, scenario one: They know I'm up here and are coming for me. Two: They think I'm down there and want to try and get me from above. Probably not two. They already tried that and it failed. Scenario three, they think I'm down there and they got at least one guy coming up the stairs, and one going through the kitchen to get me in a pincer move. I don't know how many of them there are, but two of them are wounded, including the boss. I doubt they'll spare any more than they have to. It's probably one guy each. _

Momo decided on scenario three, the pincer movement. She drew her pistol and waited for the guy on the stairs to enter the room. The door opened and the soldier called Utkin slowly stepped in. His intended target came up behind him, jumping onto his back and covering his mouth with her left hand. With her right, she pressed her pistol into his spine and fired, the gunshot partially muffled from being pressed so tightly into it's victim. She did what she could to soften his fall to the floor, but it was difficult given his size compared to hers. She was not sure if she had quieted the impact enough so she had to move fast.

Momo picked up the soldier's gun, a UMP45, and a hand grenade off of his belt. She then went into the hall and toward the stairs, moving as quickly and quietly as she could. She moved to the edge of the living room entrance, hugging the wall, listening closely while keeping her eye on the kitchen. Her foes were making no sound in the living room.

_Smart. _

Momo pulled the pin from the grenade and tossed it into the living room. The Russians in there shouted in surprise. She moved halfway up the stairs and the grenade went off. If the scream she heard was any indicator, at least one of them was injured by the explosion. Momo aimed her SMG toward the kitchen. When the soldier there charged out to the living room, baffled by the explosion, she emptied half of its clip into him. He fell down dead, and Momo carefully turned the corner into the living room.

The grenade had destroyed her entertainment center, and flipped her couch over, leaving nasty scorch marks on it. One of the Russians lay next to the couch dead, while the other lay wounded, riddled with shrapnel. She guessed that this was the one that tried to talk her down, the one she blasted through the wall. Momo pointed the machine gun at him.

She did not bother to ask him again who had sent him and his comrades, as it was unlikely that he would tell her. She simply fired the rest of the SMG's clip into him, ending his pain. She did a quick sweep of the rest of the house with her pistol, and moved back to the bathroom. She knocked on the door.

"It's me Linus," She said. She heard the boy climb out of the tub and unlock the door. She stepped in and turned on the light. He was very pale, and was sweating bullets. "How's your stomach?"

"It still hurts," He moaned.

"Yeah, mine too." She placed her hand on her left shoulder and tried to massage it. It did not help much. She lowered the lid on the toilet and sat on it to catch her breath. Linus pulled a wad of toilet paper off of the roll and patted it on her face.

"You're all sweaty," Linus said.

"So are you," Momo said.

"Yep."

"Did you...kill them?"

"Yep."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sokolov was, to say the least, impressed. He had read his target's file thoroughly, as did all of his men, but this situation simply proved that the only way to truly gauge an opponent's skill is to witness it. His cellphone rang and he answered it. It was Kakuzawa, who had witnessed the fight from his office back in Kanagawa.

"Send in the rest of your team Colonel," He said. "Take no more chances. Throw everything you have at her."

"I understand," he said. He hung up the phone and spoke into his headset. "Second squad is down. Repeat: second squad is down. All killed. All remaining squads, get ready for a full assault."

Sokolov ordered Fedorov, the driver of the van, to head for Kuroki's house. The rest of the unit followed behind.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Momo perked up when she heard more engines coming.

"You have got to be kidding," She said.

"What?" Linus asked.

"I hear more coming," She said. "There's even more of them this time. A lot more. Come on, We have to go."

"Go where?" Linus asked.

"Away from here." Linus slipped his iPod deep into his pocket.

Momo took Linus by the hand and led him downstairs. The boy was astonished at all of the dead bodies scattered around the house, as well as the damage to the living room. She grabbed his bucket hat off of the floor and put it on his head. The young mutant held his wound as he moved. The injury itself was hurting much less now, but the poison still caused intense burning through his circulatory system.

Momo ran out the front door with her son, and spotted their getaway vehicle; one of the SUVs that the soldiers arrived in. She heard the engines coming from the east and ran toward the nearest car.

"Excellent. They left the keys in it!" Momo said.

"Do you have a driver's license?" Linus asked.

"Of course I do," she said. "I just don't own a car. Now get in the back seat and keep your head down."

"Okay." Linus jumped into the back, and Momo sat in the driver's seat, placing her shotgun in the front passenger seat.

She put the vehicle in reverse, backed up, shifted to drive, and floored it, heading west. She could see a group of headlights steadily closing in from the rearview mirror. She made a sharp turn and headed south as fast as the speed limit allowed. She did not dare risk catching a passing police officer's attention by speeding until she absolutely needed to gun it. The headlights in the mirror turned her direction and resumed pursuit of her. They were about two blocks away, but gaining on her slowly. They would be on her within minutes. Momo shifted the mirror to look at Linus. He was holding his right hip, where his iPod made a bulge in his pocket.

"Buckle up back there Linus," She said. "Losing these losers isn't going to be easy."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After dinner, Kouta helped Yuka wash the dishes, and Nozomi went with Nyu to teach her to sing, which she had done for the past week. Nyu could not yet speak the words that Nozomi was singing, but she could match the melody to an extent. They could hear them from downstairs, and Kouta listened as best he could. Yuka must have noticed the smile on his face.

"Hey...Kouta?" She said.

_Oh boy, _Kouta thought. _She's about to ask another one of those awkward questions. _Kouta had gotten good at spotting those, as she always started them off with those same words, and in that same tone.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Do you think I could sing that well? I mean, if Nozomi gave me some lessons, would you like me to sing like that?"

"Um, I'm sure that you could sing very well." Kouta almost dropped the plate he was washing.

_I wish she would stop asking me these questions. _

After the dishes were done, Kouta went outside and sat on the porch. He looked up at the full moon, and was immediately reminded of the nightmare he had a month ago. He could not stop staring at it, fearing that it would turn red if he looked away. He finally turned away when he felt a tear fall down his left cheek. He stood up and headed to the front door.

"I'm going to go for a walk," He told Yuka.

"So late?" Yuka asked. She was carrying her clothes toward the bathroom, clearly about to take a bath.

"The mood hit me," Kouta said. "I'll be back before too long."

"Okay then."

As Kouta put his sneakers on, Nyu abruptly came up behind him and grabbed him by the arm.

"Kouta!"

"Oh, hey Nyu. I was just going out for a walk."

"Walk! Nyu! Kouta, Walk!"

"You want to come with me?"

"Nyu!"

That was a yes. Nyu put on her shoes and squeezed his arm tightly.

"Nyu, you're squeezing me too hard."

"Nyu?" She said. Kouta began blushing. She was simply too cute.

Kouta was a little nervous walking with her under the full moon, as the nightmare still haunted him. However, he could not pass up an opportunity to be alone with her, not if there was a chance that her other half could come out, though he did not know how to make that happen. Regardless, he had waited for over a month for her to come back, but so far nothing, so he was going to have to figure out a way.

Kouta walked out of maple inn with Nyu, the pink haired girl holding his arm tightly. Despite his shortcomings caused by the nightmare, he had to admit that walking with her in the moonlight was incredibly pleasant.


	17. Chapter 16: Chase

Chapter 16

Chase

Kouta and Nyu walked through Kamakura, the young woman holding his arm. They headed south toward the beach. He was hoping that bringing her where he first met her (this year) might some how bring forth her other side. He was getting eager to speak to her again. He led Nyu down to the sandy beach and waited for something to happen.

Nyu looked around and seemed to scan the beach. It looked like she was remembering something. "Nyu."

She knelt down and started digging through the sand. Kouta was a bit puzzled at this behavior. She pulled up a pile of sand and dusted it out of her hand. She held up two little seashells, one large blue one and a little green one. "Nyu."

He picked up the blue one and looked it over. She also gave him the green one, and went digging for more shells. Kouta smiled and knelt down next to her. He figured that she must be remembering what he was hoping she was remembering. As he recalled previous encounters with Nyu's other side, everyone who supposedly knew her, such as Nana and that woman on the bridge, called her Lucy. Lucy must be the other side of Nyu.

"Lucy?" Kouta asked. Nyu looked up at him wearing a perplexed expression. "Are you Lucy?" She looked behind her, back to Kouta, and blinked in confusion.

"Kouta?" She asked.

"Is your real name Lucy?" Kouta continued. "Please Lucy, I need to talk to you." He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her red eyes.

"Nyu?" Nyu was starting to get uneasy.

"I know you're in there. Please come out. Think back to when we were kids. I know you remember it."

"Kouta," She moaned. She turned her head away and clenched her eyes. "Kouta."

"Wake up, Lucy! Please wake up!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Over the last few weeks, Mayu and Nana had spent some of their free time watching various TV programs. Mayu had been having difficulty getting the silpelit to understand that most of what they watched was completely fictional. Tonight she had found a channel playing an old Godzilla movie, and figured that the film's old special effects would help get the point across this time. She was wrong, as Nana was cowering behind Mayu, peering over her shoulder.

"I promise you Nana," Mayu said patiently, "That's just a man in a suit standing over a bunch of miniature buildings."

"But what about the people talking?" Nana asked. "They're smaller than the buildings."

"Those shots are taken separately on a different set. I promise, no city is actually getting destroyed."

"But how..." Nana's train of thought was suddenly shifted when she thought she sensed a familiar presence, a presence she had not felt in over a month. "Lucy?"

"What?" Mayu asked.

Lucy's presence was very faint, but there. Nana could not tell if she was struggling to wake up, or trying very hard not to. For about two minutes, Lucy's presence hovered in her awareness, and then abruptly vanished.

"Nana?" Mayu said. "Nana? Are you okay?"

Nana shook her head to clear her mind. "Yes," she said. "I'm sorry, I...I'm fine."

"Hey, you two," Yuka said, entering the room fresh out of the shower, rubbing a towel through her hair. "What are you watching this time?"

"Godzilla," Mayu said. "Did Nozomi go home?"

"Yes she did. And Kouta's out for a walk. Where's Nyu?"

"I think she went with him," Nana said.

Yuka's face suddenly turned sour. "Did she?"

"I think so," Mayu said. Yuka clenched her fist, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She walked over and sat next to the younger girls.

"I'm sure that's nothing," Yuka whispered to herself, "They're just out for a walk, nothing more. That doesn't mean anything."

"Hey!" Mayu exclaimed. Yuka and Nana looked to the TV. Godzilla had suddenly been interrupted by a special news broadcast.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Nyu clutched her head, whimpering and shivering, trying desperately to keep her bad thoughts down. A horrible memory flashed in her mind of Kouta crying next to his dead family, and she screamed. Kouta quickly embraced her, and she calmed down.

"I'm sorry," he exclaimed. "I'm sorry! That wasn't fair of me, Nyu. I'm sorry."

"Kouta?"

Kouta released her and looked back into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," He said again. Nyu stared at him for a moment and then smiled. She soon went back to digging through the sand. Before long, she let out a yelp in pain. Kouta moved to help and saw that a small crab had clamped down on her index finger. Kouta carefully pulled the crab off and set it down. He gave her finger a kiss, causing her blush and forget about the pain.

_I'll just have to be patient,_ Kouta decided.

"C'mon Nyu," He said, taking her hand. "Let's head back home before Yuka get's testy."

"Nyu!" She exclaimed. Kouta helped her to her feet and they walked back toward the maple inn. Even though this "Lucy" didn't reappear like he hoped, it was a still a beautiful night to be walking around with the woman he loved. As they stepped off of the beach, Kouta felt as if everything was right with the world.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_This is just not right!_ Linus thought as he gripped his seat belt. The liquid fire continued to flow through is veins, though it seemed to be steadily abating. _Why is this happening? Who are these people?_

He gripped his seat as Momo swerved the car. The mercenaries chasing them had finally gained up on them, and over the last hour, have been trying to shoot their car into oblivion, drive them off of the road, or any combination thereof. Though he could not see it well from the inside of the car, he guessed that the outside must be pretty banged up by now.

"Thanks for the bullet proof windows guys!," Momo said. She swerved the car and knocked one their pursuers off of them.

Over the course of the chase, Linus had risked a few peeks out the windows. He counted four SUVs identical to the one he sat in, and one rather large van following behind. He consulted his mental encyclopedia to try and figure out who could be chasing them. Judging from the guns they were using, as well as the way they were organized, he believed them to be some kind of military group. Given that Japan was a peaceful country with no major enemies since World War II, he could reasonably assume that they did not answer to any government, so they could only be...

_Mercenaries, _He thought. _Soldiers of fortune. Soldiers for hire. Fight for money. Sent to kill us. Who wants us dead? What did we do?_

Momo attempted to swerve the car between several others in an effort to lose the soldiers, but whenever she gained some distance from one SUV, another would reach them and hit her. By now, Linus believed that both taillights were busted at the very least. Given how long they had been driving, he grew concerned about how much gas they had left.

A row of bullets struck the passenger side door near Linus's head, causing him to recoil. Luckily, the car doors appeared to be bulletproof too.

"Are you hit?" Momo asked.

"No," Linus said.

"Is the..." Momo broke off when another pursuer struck the driver's side of the car. The opposing car tried to push them onto the sidewalk, but she managed to push him away. "Is the poison wearing off yet?"

"It still burns." Linus said. "What about you?"

"Still hurts like hell," Momo said. "And I wish my wound would heal as fast as yours."

"Who are these people?" Linus asked. "Some kind of mercenaries?"

"Where the hell did you learn this crap?" Momo asked.

"I told you, I don't know."

"Once again Linus, that was a rhetorical question. How do you not get those by now?"

"Dang it!" Linus said. "Sorry."

"To answer your question," Momo continued, "Yes, I think they're mercenaries."

"But who sent them? Who wants us dead?"

"They want me dead," Momo said. "They want you alive."

"But who would want me?"

"If I were to guess, I'd say the guys who stuck all of those wires into you."

"What?" Linus exclaimed, now even more scared. "Are you sure?"

"I can't imagine who else would. And I just know that Kakuzawa bastard would love to see me dead."

A high power round shot through the back window and imbedded itself in the windshield, passing so close to Momo's head that she felt the air it pushed blow through her hair.

"Whoa!" Momo shouted. She took the next turn and headed into oncoming traffic in an effort to lose the mercenaries, causing Linus to duck down in fear with his arms over his head. Two of them followed her directly, while the rest of them stayed in the proper flow of traffic. She swerved past several cars, ultimately heading back into the proper lanes when she grazed a semi truck. Unfortunately, the SUVs that pursued her also avoided getting hit.

"Give me a break," Momo said. "These guys must be getting paid a fortune to be this stubborn."

Linus sat up and looked over at the car's gauges. He saw what he was afraid of.

"We're almost out of gas," He said.

"Keep your hat on," Momo said. "We just need to loose these..." A shotgun blast hit the driver's side window, creating many cracks in it. She swerved right and impacted the shooter's car, causing it to lose ground. "...assholes. Failing that, we need to find a place to park it and make a stand, preferably somewhere with a lot of cover."

"Where would that be?" Linus asked.

"Not sure yet. I'm winging it right now."

"Winging it?"

"Improvising." A bright light suddenly shown on them from above, as if the sun had just woken up to see what the racket was. "Oh, shit in my soda!"

"What's that light?" Linus asked.

"A helicopter," Momo answered. "Probably a fucking news helicopter."

"How do you know?"

"Well, for one thing, not a lot happens in this city, and we haven't been very subtle tonight. Dammit, if uncle Hisoka sees this, he's gonna shit gold bricks!"

Another SUV slammed into them from behind, this time causing them to spin around a couple of times. Another hit them in the back from a different direction and kept driving, pushing their car toward a large building. Pedestrians ran and jumped out of the way. Momo vigorously pumped the break pedal, and pulled on the emergency brake, but the Russians kept pushing them forward. The mercenaries pushed the car though a set of glass doors, and Momo immediately recognized where they were: the Takashimaya Gate Tower mall.

The car behind them continued to push them, forcing shoppers to scatter and panic. Momo unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped it the back seat when she saw a pillar closing in, shielding Linus with her body. The car finally stopped when it smashed into the pillar. Momo peaked out the back window and immediately unbuckled Linus. She grabbed her shotgun from the passenger seat and shielded Linus again. The other car smashed into them again, and backed up. Momo unbuckled Linus and opened the right side door, climbing out first and pulling her son behind her.

The Russians' car smashed into the now empty and totaled car. Momo turned to face them. The driver's side window rolled down and an arm extended, pointing a pistol at her. Momo acted faster, pulling up her shotgun and firing in through the window. The driver screamed and dropped the gun. Momo grabbed Linus's hand and pulled him along.

"Run for it," She said.

Four Russians piled out of the car and began firing in their direction. Momo pulled Linus behind a map display, as the boy was having a difficult time running with while in pain. Linus was young but she was experienced with pain. She could force herself to keep going, but for the boy, it was a miracle that he was still conscious. The best they could do at this point was to move as fast as they could, get behind cover, and repeat as necessary.

Momo peeked around the map display they were using as cover. All four of their pursuers were closing in on them, their guns pointed in their direction. They knew where they were. She considered pulling out her pistol and kneecapping the one nearest to the display's edge, but that would cause them to lay down suppressing fire on the map, and it did not look sturdy enough to protect them for long. She slowly backed up with her shotgun raised and made her way to the nearest shop.

_Gonna need to be careful with the Soupmaker in here,_ She thought. _Using a scattergun is risky with this many bystanders. I have to use her only when I'm sure I have a shot._

She backed into a shop of stuffed animals and hid herself behind the door frame. There were several shoppers and employees hiding behind shelves in here. She guessed that most of the nearby stores would be the same. She had an idea, but it was a risky one.

"Get behind me, Linus." The Diclonius complied.

She said as she slung her shotgun over her shoulder, pulled out her pistol and waited. After a minute, a Russian's assault rifle peaked around the corner. When his arm came into view, she pounced.

Momo shot the soldier's arm, causing him to recoil in pain and drop his weapon. She lunged forward into his chest, gripping his uniform and shooting him in the heart. She had to pocket her pistol, as she needed both hands to move him. She used his uniform as a handhold, and pulled him along out of the shop, using his carcass as a bullet shield. The difference between the dead soldier's height and her own was quite great, but with her fit physique, she managed to hold up his dead weight.

She sidestepped back out of the shop moving slowly, with Linus staying right behind her, gripping her jacket tightly. As luck would have it, two of the three remaining soldiers started reloading their weapons at the same time. She used this opportunity to drop her shield and make for a nearby escalator, unslinging her shotgun as she moved. The soldiers immediately went for cover, but in such a crowded building, Momo dared not fire unless she was sure she had a shot.

The soldier woman turned her head when she heard a loud crash behind her. After a second, another SUV rounded a corner and turned in her direction.

"Fuck!" She screamed.

She and Linus rounded the escalator and ran up as fast as they could. The car crashed into it, but could go no further. Apart from the driver, everyone inside piled out and aimed up at their target, but she made it to the second floor before they could fire. She ducked her head down when a search light shined down on her from the skylight.

_Damn helicopter. If that's a news chopper, I can't let them see our faces. _

"Mama," Linus said

"I know," Momo said. "Just keep your head down." She spotted a clothing store some distance away and the pair made their way to it as fast as they could. She hoped that she would find something there to hide her face.


	18. Chapter 17: Symbiosis

Chapter 17

Symbiosis

Upon entering the clothing store, Momo managed to find some bandanas. She grabbed a pair of red ones, and wrapped one around her nose and mouth, and the other around her head. One thing she did not need right now was her face appearing on the news. In addition to clothes, the store provided plenty of cover, which several other shoppers were already taking advantage of.

Momo jumped behind the retail counter and had Linus crouch down behind it. The cashier and a couple of shoppers were hiding back there as well, one of which spoke up.

"What the hell is going on lady?" His tone got less demanding when Momo held her shotgun up, and loaded a buckshot shell into the magazine tube.

"Just stay out of it kid," She said. She took a peek over the counter. Roughly eight soldiers entered the store with their weapons raised.

"Stay here kiddo," Momo said to Linus. "You three stay put too. I'll get this over with as soon as I can."

"Mom," Linus said. "Please don't die."

"I won't."

She rolled out from behind the counter and made her way to a large selection of men's clothing. She fired a shot in their direction to draw their attention, hitting a shoe display next to one of the soldiers. She would later be grateful for finding the bandanas protecting her identity, as many of the more brave onlookers were capturing her actions with their cellphones.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"We're back," Kouta said as he and Nyu left their shoes at the front door.

"We're in here," Yuka shouted from another room. Kouta and Nyu made their way to it and saw everyone huddled around the television. Whatever they were watching, it must have been really compelling

"What are you all watching?" Kouta asked.

"The news," Yuka said. "There's some kind of shootout happening in Nagoya."

"Really?" Kouta and Nyu sat around the TV and watched. A reporter was standing outside of a large shopping mall. He explained that a large number of armed men and forced someone's car into the mall, and that shots were reported fired from inside the building. So far, the only image of the person or persons being chased was an overhead shot looking directly down the mall's skylight, but no one could make out any details at that angle.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The residents of the maple inn were not the only ones interested in the news story. Over two miles away at a bar, a surly former member of the Special Assault Team was sitting at a bar, once again having failed to find his target. Since his previous encounter with Lucy over a month ago, one question would not leave his mind.

_Why did that bitch let me go?_

Bando had turned the question in his mind again and again, and he still could only come up with one answer: that Lucy viewed him as an insignificant an opponent, like a beetle so small, that it's not worth stepping on. This outrage only increased his desire to kill her. Nothing else in his life mattered to him anymore. Then again, nothing had ever really mattered to him in life apart from battle, even before Lucy. Nothing that is, since...

Bando ordered another shot of bourbon when the TV over the bar had suddenly switched to a news story that had caught his interest. It was not often that a car chase was caught on the news in Japan, least of all Nagoya.

"Hey bartender," he said, pointing to the TV, "Turn that up. I want to see this."

He watched with great interest as the story unfolded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Momo brought down one of the Russians with a two-leg sweep, and blasted him in the chest with Soupmaker. She ducked and rolled over when one of them shot at her with an assault rifle. She shot him in the leg and then in the head when he doubled over. She ducked behind a shelf of men's size t-shirts and loaded six shells into the shotgun.

"Five to go," she whispered.

Linus waited patiently behind the counter, his arms wrapped around his legs. Gunshots were ringing out all around the store, his adoptive mother leading them all over the place. The teenager next to him was peeking over the counter, filming the action with his cell phone.

"Shouldn't you keep your head down?" Linus asked him. "You might get shot."

"Are you kidding?," the teen said. "This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened in this boring city. This is so going on the internet."

"Opportunist." Linus mumbled. The teen heard his comment, and pointed his phone at him. Linus ducked his head down, letting the camera capture only his hat.

"What about you kid?" The teenager asked. "You're with her, right? Who are these guys, and why are they chasing you?"

"I don't think I should say." Another shotgun blast echoed through the store, and one of the Russians slammed against the front of the counter, scaring the life out of Linus and the teenager, the latter of which emitted a high pitched squeal. After a moment's hesitation, the teen looked back over the counter. Linus noticed that his expression changed to one of shock, which coincided with the combined sounds of a powerful impact, a cracking noise, and a brief scream.

"Holy shit!" The teenager said.

"What?" Linus said.

"She's got him in a choke hold! That is so cool!"

Linus decided to take a risk and peak over the counter as well. He slowly brought his head up and saw Momo lying prone, gripping a soldier's abdomen with her legs, and his neck with her arms, choking the life out of him. The Russian tried to pull her arms away, but her grip was too tight. Another soldier came up to them with his assault rifle raised, but hesitated to fire, given that his comrade was completely obstructing his aim. With frightening speed, Momo pulled a knife from the soldier whom she was strangling, and threw it into the approaching soldier's neck, sending him toppling. With a swift and strong motion, she snapped the other's neck, and quickly got back to her feet.

A flutter of motion in his periphery vision caught Linus's attention, and he saw another soldier coming up behind his mother with a silenced pistol. Clearly, this soldier specialized in being sneaky. She was facing the direction opposite him, reloading her shotgun. Linus's inner voice spoke to him again for the first time in a month.

_She can't react in time, _his voice said, _but you can stop it. You know you can._

Linus looked around him and spotted the cash register on the counter. _Use that!_ The voice demanded. The Diclonius lifted the register with one of his vectors and threw it toward the sneaky soldier, who saw it coming toward him and barely ducked away in time. The register crashed a distance away, the resulting noise catching Momo's ear. She turned toward it and spotted the Russian, who froze in terror. She blew him away before he could move.

Linus was surprised at how easy it was to summon his vectors, and he realized that the pain in his body had all but abated. He had been so terrified of the peril around him, that he had not noticed that the poison in his system had worn off.

"What the hell just happened?" The teen next to him asked. Linus looked over to see the older boy looking at the spot where the cash register had been, then at him. He pointed his phone at Linus again, who ducked back down to hide his face. "Did you do that kid?"

"That wasn't me," Linus lied. "I...thought it was you."

"What? Do I look strong enough to throw a cash register that far?"

"Do I? I'm ten."

The teenager opened his mouth to counter the younger boy's argument, but thought better of it.

"Good point," he said. "But what threw it?"

Linus simply shrugged.

Momo bashed the face another soldier with the butt of her shotgun, gripping it by the receiver and barrel, swinging it like a bat. Two bloody teeth fell to the floor some distance away. She followed her swing with a kick to his lower side, which caused him to fall to the floor. She finished him with an axe kick to his neck. She resumed a proper grip on her weapon and looked around.

_Just one left, _she thought. _He must have taken cover behind the clothes. Probably waiting to ambush me. _

She walked slowly through the store, aiming her shotgun at the clothing racks, her finger hovering just over the trigger. The Russian she was looking for pulled a fur coat off of a hanger, and waited for an opportunity. When he found one, he came up behind her. She heard him coming a second too late and he threw the coat over her when she turned to face him. Before she could even try to pull it off, he tackled her and slammed her against the wall. Her assailant then threw her to the floor on her stomach and pinned her down, the coat still covering her head and upper body. The soldier held her right shoulder to the floor, his submachine gun in his left hand.

"You damn pain in the ass," The soldier said in Russian as he put his gun to her head. "Fucking die!"

Momo brought her left elbow into the mercenary's ribs as hard as she could. He flinched, and the gun shifted away from her head just as he pulled the trigger, the bullet narrowly missing her left ear. The noise from the gunshot made her ears ring. The impact to the ribs caused him to double over, bringing his head in range of hers. She lunged her head into his face, breaking his nose and further loosening his grip on her. She wormed her pistol from her jacket, pointed it over her shoulder, and shot the Russian through his throat. He fell over backward clutching his neck. Blood spurted from the wound like a shaken can of soda.

Momo pulled the coat off, stood, and aimed her pistol properly this time. She fired three more rounds into his heart. He fell over backward, and Momo grabbed her shotgun as she climbed to her feet.

"Zalupa," Momo said. She moved back to the counter to get her son, peering over it.

"We have to keep moving kiddo," She said. The boy climbed to his feet.

"I think I feel much better," Linus said.

Momo moved her left shoulder around. The wound was still sore, but the burning sensation was gone. "You know, now that you mention it, so do I."

"Maybe that poison is wearing off?"

"Seems like it. Can you move quickly now?"

"I think so."

"Okay then." Momo turned her attention to the teenager who hid with Linus. He was holding his phone up to her obscured face. "Kid, get that phone out of my face, or there will be an ambulance in your near future." The boy lowered his phone.

"Sorry," He whimpered.

"C'mon kiddo," She said. "No way that's the last of them. We gotta keep moving."

"Okay," Linus said.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

To say that the operation had gone off the rails would be an understatement. What should have taken a few minutes in a little house had led to a chase throughout the city that lasted an hour and counting. Not only that, but almost two dozen Hunter Seekers had been killed by one person. Luckily, the Colonel had a good plan and if they were lucky, the mission would soon reach its conclusion.

"Are you in position, Orlov?" Sokolov asked, his voice coming in clear through the earpiece.

"In position," Orlov answered. The team's top sniper was waiting on a third floor walkway, laying on his stomach, his OSV-96 sniper rifle laying in front of him. He was positioned just above the entrance to the clothing store where the targets were hiding. Many other soldiers were scattered about the mall, well hidden, each ready to ambush their prey. Many scared shoppers were around as well, but Orlov had faith that their fear would keep them quiet. The sniper spoke into his headset.

"See anything Molchalin?" Orlov asked his spotter, who was positioned further away to face the store.

"Yes," Molchalin answered. "She's about to step out into the open. Get ready."

Orlov grabbed his sniper rifle and slowly rose,. He peeked through through the guardrails, and after a moment, his targets cautiously walked into view on the walkway below. The woman held a Benelli shotgun at the ready, scanning her surroundings. The little boy they were sent to capture stuck close behind her, looking around, watching her back.

"I have eyes on the target," Orlov said.

"Take her out," Sokolov said.

Orlov carefully got to his feet when he was sure she was facing the direction opposite him. He quickly but quietly got to his feet and took aim through his scope. He activated the rifle's laser sight, the red dot appearing on the back of the woman's head.

"That kid sees you," Molchalin said," Take the shot!"

"Mom!" The kid shouted. Orlov pulled the trigger right as the woman turned around.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Mom!" Linus shouted.

A gunshot rang out right as Momo turned. She flinched when a bullet suddenly appeared in front of her, stopping in midair. Her eyes were wide with shock. A red light shined from the walkway above, snapping her out of her stupor.

_Sniper!_

Momo aimed the soupmaker toward the man above. He fired at her again. This time, the bullet slid off of the invisible force that blocked the first one, causing it to graze the right side of her face next to her eye. Her aim faltered, and the buckshot went too high. She lowered the muzzle of the weapon and fired again, this time hitting the soldier, though he was too far away for the shot to have killed him. She grabbed Linus's hand and ducked into a nearby electronics store.

Another soldier suddenly jumped out of nowhere and grabbed her shotgun. The two adversaries gripped it tightly, determined not to let the other get it. The soldier signaled another one behind her, who came up and aimed his gun at her.

_Shit!_

The one with the gun was suddenly impacted by another unseen force, sending him flying and falling back down to the first floor screaming. Momo seized the advantage of the other soldier's confusion.

"Man check!" She shouted as she kicked him in his crotch. He buckled over, and Momo struck him in the face with the butt of the gun, sending him backward, then finished him with a messy shot to the chest.

Three more Russians ran up outside with their guns raised. Linus jumped in front of Momo, and before she could stop him, they opened fire. All of their shots were stopped in the air in front of them. The bullets hung in midair for a moment, then fell to the floor. The soldiers stood there, perplexed. Momo took advantage of this and fired three rapid shotgun blasts, dropping each trooper.

"Linus?" She said, the boy turning to face her. "Did you do that?"

He nodded apologetically.

"And you blocked that sniper's shot too?" He nodded again.

Linus tensed up as Momo knelt down in front of him. He was nervous, as he had broken his promise to her not to use his vectors outside of the house. He was both confused and relieved when she hugged him tightly.

"Mom?" He asked.

"That sniper had me dead to rights," Momo said. "You saved my life!"

"You're...not mad?"

"Mad? Hell no! Why would I be mad?"

"Because I used my vectors outside the house."

"Oh, yeah. Well...given the circumstances, I'll let it slide this time. I..." Momo was interrupted when machine gun fire spread throughout the store. She and Linus ducked for cover, bullets destroying computers and cellphones. A large television fell on top of Momo. Linus looked up to see the soldier that he had thrown to the first floor had returned, and he was angry. He stood right over Linus, aiming down at him with his assault rifle.

"So you did that?'" He asked in Russian. He grabbed Linus by his shirt and flipped him over, aiming his gun at his leg. "I can't kill you, but the colonel didn't say I couldn't shoot you in the leg you little fucker."

The front of the gun was suddenly sliced away, falling to the ground. The soldier's face changed to one of horror, clearly not expecting him to be capable of cutting things as well as flinging them. He backed away and drew his side arm. Linus stood up with a confidence he had never felt before. He fired at the Diclonius, who caught every bullet with his vectors, and let them fall once the gun's clip was empty.

_This. Is. Cool!_

_Kill him, _The voice in his head said. _He's right there. You could finish him so easily! _

_Kill him? I can't do that._

_Why not? He's trying to kill mom and take you away. _

_But mom said not to kill anyone...MOM!_

Linus turned and pulled the TV off of his adoptive mother, who got to her feet and went for her shotgun. The soldier saw this and reloaded his handgun. As he brought it up, everything in front of the trigger guard was once again cut away. The soldier was quickly blown backward by a cluster of buckshot.

"Xyecoc!," Momo said, smoke rising from her favorite gun.

"Are you ok?" Linus asked.

"Just peachy," Momo said. "But I don't know how much longer we can keep this up. These assholes are really adaptable. We need to find a way to ditch them before I run out of ammo."

"Well..." Linus said, "Aren't we right next to a train station?" Momo looked at Linus as if he had just told her the meaning of life.

"Yes we are," she said with a grin. "The largest train station in the city in fact. What's say we hitch a ride?"

Momo and Linus carefully exited the electronics store and moved to an escalator, heading back down to the first floor, keeping an eye on the upper floors for any more snipers. They were making there way to the nearest exit when a loud revving sounded behind them. They turned to see an SUV heading for them, the driver carefully aiming it to run Momo down.

Acting on a combination on instinct and intellect, Linus jumped onto Momo's back.

"What the...?" She exclaimed, trying to maintain her balance. As the SUV came upon her, Linus slammed his vectors into the floor, and Momo was lifted off of the floor, the vehicle passing under her.

"FUUCK!" Momo exclaimed. She was suddenly lowered back onto her feet gently, and Linus got off of her back. She stood stunned, and watched as the SUV crashed through the exit that she and Linus were heading for. This did not exactly surprise her, as the driver was probably quite shocked at what he saw, and forgot about the doors of steel and glass in front of him. Momo looked down at Linus, who smiled up at her.

"Do me a favor kiddo," she said, "give me a little warning before you do that again, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Linus said.


	19. Chapter 18: Train

Chapter 18

Train

Bando continued to watch the news story, downing his fourth shot of bourbon. The news helicopter covering the story shined it's light on one of the shopping mall's other entrances. Bando tensed with excitement when one of the black SUVs crashed through it and smashed into a large pole. Within a minute, five soldiers, mercenaries, if Bando were to guess, all got out of the car. One of them was suddenly gunned down. From the look of things, whoever the mercenaries were chasing was getting the upper hand on them.

"Oh yeah," Bando said, "Now it's getting good."

One of the soldiers was suddenly gunned down, and the others looked back toward the mall and took cover. A person wielding a shotgun marched out of the mall. Bando realized that this must be the person that the mercs had been chasing. The shotgun wielder was accompanied by someone else, a kid, judging from his size.

The news chopper shined its light on the man with the shotgun and his kid, and zoomed it's camera in on them as far as it could. Bando could roughly make out the adult's height and build, and if he were measuring correctly, he was actually a she. It would be easier to know for sure if he could see her face, but it was obscured by a red bandana, as was her hair. He couldn't make out the child's face either, as he was wearing a bucket hat, whose brim he kept to the helicopter. Whoever these two were, they did not want their faces on TV.

The merc that the woman shot tried to bring up his gun, but she finished him off with another blast to the head. The woman reloaded her gun and brought it back up.

"Tough girl," The bartender said. The news chopper apparently dropped in altitude to get a better view. As she moved forward, one of the soldiers managed to sneak around behind her. She spun around and blew him away. He could see her gun much more clearly now, and when he saw the the gold symbol on its receiver, he realized that it was a weapon he was all too familiar with.

"Oh my god," he whispered. He leaned forward on the bar, now more interested in the news than he had ever been in his life. "That's the Soupmaker. No, It can't be."

Another soldier fired at the woman and she ducked down, the child following her close like a duckling to its mother. Another one of the soldiers attempted to come around and grab the little boy, but the woman sensed his approach and blew his head clean off. The two remaining soldiers attempted to rush her. She managed to gun one down, but the other kicked her gun away and grabbed her arms. Bando clenched his fists as he watched.

The woman high kicked the merc in the chin and he let go of her. She jumped on him, wrapping his legs around his torso and grabbed his shirt collar. She leaned back and then slammed her forehead down into the bridge of his nose. She somersaulted off of him as he collapsed on his back. This maneuver only confirmed what Bando had suspected.

_It IS her! _

"Kuroki!" He said. The bartender looked over to him.

"You know that lady?" He asked. Bando looked at him, then back to the TV.

"No," He said. "No. She just reminded me of someone, that's all."

The child on the television picked up Kuroki's shotgun and handed it to her. She then took him by the arm and ran when another SUV showed up. It went after her, chasing her behind the mall. The news chopper lost sight of them and shined its light, searching for them.

"C'mon you morons," Bando exclaimed. "Get her back in sight!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"This is getting exhausting," Momo said. She and Linus were running for Nagoya station, although they had to take an indirect route. They did not have time to buy a ticket, so they had to bypass the normal entrance and go straight for the boarding platforms. Unfortunately, the mercenaries had the advantage of speed, as their cars headed for them. Linus looked behind them and saw one of them gunning it toward his mother, clearly planning to do what the other SUV had tried to do in the mall.

"Warning!" He shouted. He let go of Momo's hand and jumped on to her back. She slowed down as she struggled to keep her footing.

"Linus!" She shouted.

The child slammed his vectors into the ground as hard as he could, and launched himself and Momo high into the air, this time even higher than the last time. As they fell, Linus extended his vectors, impacted the ground, and lowered his mother gently onto her feet, just like before.

"When I said to give me a little warning next time," She said. "I meant a little more warning than that."

"Sorry," Linus said.

The car turned and charged at them again. Momo braced herself, though this time, Linus did not launch them into the air, but rather stood on his vectors like stilts, gripping Momo tightly with his arms and legs. As the car drew close, Linus gripped it with his phantom limbs, hitching a ride on it and lowering Momo onto it. He gripped the car with four of his vectors, keeping Momo tethered to it, and used two others to rip out the engine, bringing the now dead car to a skidding stop. Soldiers piled out of it in a panic, and Momo shot them dead with her Benelli.

Momo hopped off of the lifeless vehicle and had Linus climb off of her.

"Okay," Momo said. "I cannot deny that that was awesome."

The train platforms were less than a hundred meters away, and the remaining cars were two hundred away and closing. Momo and Linus dashed for the trains as fast as they could. As they ran, Linus scooped up rocks with his vectors and threw them at the cars as hard as he could, but at such a distance, it did not really do anything. To make matters worse, the news chopper from earlier found them again and shined their spotlight on them.

"Assholes," Momo shouted. They're just making us easier to find." The pursuing SUVs accelerated, now confident of their targets' location.

The cars were about twenty meters away when Momo and Linus finally made it to the train platforms. Momo grabbed Linus and threw him onto the platform. She jumped up after him, and the SUVs ground to a halt, and the soldiers got out with their guns ready. Momo spotted a south bound train about fifteen meters away on another platform that was about to depart any minute.

"That train there," she said. "Can you get us over there kid?"

"I can try."

"Good," she said looking north. There was a train approaching from that direction, and the Mercs were climbing onto the platform. She crouched down and told Linus to climb onto her back. He complied, and she stood up. "I got an idea. Just launch us when I tell you to."

As the soldiers closed in, she ran toward her target train. She jumped off the platform, ran across the tracks, and Linus launched them onto the next. They repeated this process for the next one, with Momo keeping an eye on the one coming from the North. Several bystanders stood stunned at this phenomenon. With the scattered roofing of the station, the news helicopter was having trouble keeping them in sight.

"Uh, mom," Linus said, having noticed the approaching train.

"I know," She said, reaching the end of the platform. "Launch us now!"

Linus blasted them forward, the lights of the train shining on them as they flew across. The train narrowly missed them as Momo landed on her feet. She shivered at the impact for a second, then continued her sprint toward the train.

"That'll slow those asshats down!" Momo said. When she approached her intended train, she had Linus launch them over to the other side. The instant they landed, Momo bolted for the nearest door and jumped in just as it closed. She landed on her right side, and Linus let go of her. She lay there, gasping for air, exhausted from the chase. She rolled over onto her back as the train picked up speed. Several bystanders looked down at her.

"How you doing? She asked them. They looked away from her. Luckily, there were not very many of them in the car with her and Linus.

"How you doing Linus?" She asked.

"Just super," He panted. "Did we get away?"

Momo pulled herself up into one of the train's chairs and looked out the window. There was no sign that the mercenaries were pursuing them, and the pesky news helicopter continued to shine its spotlight on the train station behind them, still searching for its big scoop of the night. She sat her shotgun into her lap and relaxed.

"I'd say so," She said. She patted the chair next to her and Linus sat in it and leaned against her. "We made it."

"Ura," Linus said.

"What language is that?"

"Romanian."

"Show off." Linus grinned up at her, and she smiled back, though she forgot she was wearing the bandana and the boy could not see her mouth. The boy pulled his iPod out of his pocket and held it close to his chest.

Momo suddenly heard Ride of the Valkyries, and quickly realized that it was coming for her jacket pocket. She pulled her phone out and looked at the caller ID in horror.

"Uh oh." She said. She reluctantly pressed the answer button and put the phone to her ear. She lowered the bandana on her face and spoke. "Hi, uncle. How are you doing?" Momo pulled the phone away from her ear when Hisoka Kuroki began screaming at her.

"HOW AM I DOING?" He screamed. "I'M MORTIFIED. WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST SEE ON THE NEWS?"

"Quit yelling," Momo said. "What makes you so sure it was me?"

"Don't get cute Momo! I know your Soupmaker when I see it! It's amazing how clear video cameras are nowadays, especially from up high!"

"Ah." She looked down at her shotgun sheepishly. No doubt her uncle spotted the Kuroki emblem on the gun, an emblem her samurai forefathers designed centuries ago. "Well, it wasn't my fault. Those guys came after us!"

"Who's 'they,' Momo? Who came after you?"

"I don't know! Some Russian mercenaries sent to kill me! They came after Linus too, but they wanted him alive."

"Linus? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's just fine." Momo held the phone up to Linus. "Say hi to Hisoka kiddo."

Linus sat up and talked into the phone. "Hello Mr. Mom's uncle, sir." Momo brought the phone back to her ear.

"And there's one other thing," Momo said. "They weren't the only ones who came after him."

"What do you mean? Who else came for him?"

Momo took a deep breath.

"HE came back tonight. The one who killed Fuyuko and Natsuko. He came back." There was a moment of silence. When Hisoka finally spoke up again, he sounded much less angry.

"My god," Hisoka said. "Did he...what happened?"

"He tried to take Linus away. I didn't let him."

"And where is he now?"

"He got away," Momo said, clenching her fist. "But I was at least able to shoot him a few times."

"Good," Hisoka sounded relieved.

"Listen, Uncle," Momo said. "I don't think those Russians are gonna give up the hunt so easily, and my house is definitely not safe anymore. I'll explain everything to you soon, but right now, I need someone to pick us up. We did not get out of this unscathed.

"Okay," Hisoka said. "I'll call Itsumi to get you. She's usually out at this time of night. Where should you meet her?"

"Hang on." Momo got up and looked at a train map on the wall. "How about Rokuban-Cho?"

"Alright then," Hisoka said. "Where do you want her to take you."

"I think we need to get to the family estate. It's the only place where we'll be safe for now."

"I understand. I'll call her right now. And try and keep your head down. You're all over the news right now."

"Thank you uncle." Momo hung up and sat back down next to Linus. She rubbed the sweat off of her head, and stared at her hand when she saw blood on it. Then she remembered the near miss with the sniper and touched the scratch on her face. The bullet had left a long cut just to the right of her eye, and it almost went to her ear. Her sweat turned cold as she realized just how close to death she came tonight. Were it not for the little boy leaning against her, she would have been dead for sure. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer.

"Damn," She said to herself. "This day did NOT end the way I thought it would."


	20. Chapter 19: Kuroki Estate

Chapter 19

Kuroki Estate

When the train arrived at the Rokuban-Cho train station, Momo and Linus disembarked and went looking for Itsumi Kuroki, the woman who would pick them up. Not long after exiting the station, she pulled up to the curb in a green sports car. The passenger seat was already pulled up for them, and they both hopped in the back seat.

"Well," Itsumi said, "If it isn't Nagoya's newest celebrities."

"Celebrities?" Momo asked. Itsumi pulled away from the curb, and they blended into the flow of traffic, completing there escape from the Russian mercenaries.

"You've been all over the news," Itsumi said, "not to mention the internet."

"Internet?" Momo asked. "You can't be serious."

"There were a lot of kids with smart phones in that mall," Itsumi said. "You really think you wouldn't get caught on camera?"

Momo remembered the teenager from the clothing store. She face palmed herself and leaned her head back.

"Fuck," Momo said, "I don't know why I'm surprised."

"Go ahead and fall asleep you two," Itsumi told them. "It'll be a while before we get home." Linus fell asleep quickly, while Momo stayed on alert, one hand on the pistol in her jacket. Itsumi drove the car northeast, all the way to the far side of Nagoya's Moriyama ward. The car drove out of the urban sprawl and onto a road surrounded by forest. Soon after, She took a left turn, and they arrived at a large Japanese style mansion, surrounded on all sides by a ten foot tall wall.

"Wake up Linus," Momo said, nudging him. "We're here." The boy rubbed his eyes and climbed out of the car, holding his mother's hand. When he saw the Kuroki family estate lit up by the light of the full moon, he was flabbergasted at its size. Itsumi opened the gate in the wall and led them in.

"I already called ahead," Itsumi said. " Eito's here to take a look at you two."

"Who's Eito?" Linus asked.

"He's a relative," Momo said. "And a Doctor. We'll want him to look us over."

Itsumi led them to a large living room. Momo and Linus sat down in a couple of chairs, and Itsumi left the room. About a minute later, Dr. Eito Kuroki entered with a medical bag. This was the second Doctor that Linus had met. He was a bit shorter and younger than Doctor Kobayashi, and wore a tired expression, probably from being up so late at night. He was carrying a medical bag with him.

"Hey, Doc," Momo said. "Boy am I happy to see you."

Eito yawned. "Nice of you to grace us with your presence again, Momo. Now who should I look at first?" Momo pointed to Linus.

Eito leaned down to the boy. "Where are you hit, son?" Linus lifted his shirt to show a bandage on his abdomen, with a bloodstain tarnishing a spot just below his ribs. "Sit up, please, and take off your shirt." Linus removed his hat, followed by his shirt. Eito stared at the boy's horns for a second, and then looked back down at his wound. He removed the bandages slowly, and his eyes widened.

"Huh," he said, "This wound is almost completely healed." Momo looked over to find that Eito was serious. There was very little sign that Linus was injured.

"In that case," Momo said, "How about taking a look at me?"

Eito moved over to Momo. She removed her jacket, and he cut away the shirt fabric surrounding her wound and looked it over.

"Good lord," he said, "What the hell kind weapon did this sicko use?"

"Some kind of spiked ball," Momo said, "shot from a crossbow."

"A crossbow? Just how evil was this guy?"

"More than I ever thought possible."

Eito cleaned and redressed Momo's injury. She cringed somewhat, but was fairly quiet through the whole process.

"With a wound like this," Eito said, "I'm amazed that the kid's wound healed so quickly.

"I think it's a Diclonius thing," Momo said, remembering a passage in the file Hisoka had mailed her. She was glad that it had turned out to be true. Eito finished cleaning the injury.

"Why would someone use a weapon like that?" Eito asked as he put his bandages back into his bag.

"Aside from being a sadist," Momo said. "I'm not sure. I think it was coated in a poison of some kind, but it wasn't a sedative or tranquilizer. It seemed to amplify pain. I felt like my veins were burning from the inside."

"Mine too," Linus said.

"It's worn off now though," Momo continued. "Thankfully."

"Sounds like some kind of neurotoxin." Eito said. "Did he try to..." Eito nodded toward Linus. "You know... 'Have his way' with the boy?"

"No," Momo said. "He said he was there to capture Linus for someone, and that last time with my sisters was just for fun...that he wanted to 'stick it to' my family."

"Bastard," Eito said. He moved up to the cut near Momo's eye. "Did he give you this too?"

"No, a sniper did that. He nearly got me."

"No shit," Eito said. He wiped the blood from her face with a wet rag, dabbed the cut with hydrogen peroxide, and placed a small bandage over it. "I have to tell you Momo, I think that's gonna leave a scar."

"Meh," She groaned. "I'm still the sexy one in the family." Linus chuckled at her comment.

"We made up a room for you two. I'll take you there now. You can take a bath in the morning."

The doctor led them upstairs and down a hallway. He led them to the fourth room on the left, which contained two futons. Linus picked a bed and collapsed on it without bothering to get under the covers, falling asleep almost instantly. Momo removed the remaining shells from Old Nelly and put her in the corner. She removed her fanny pack and followed Linus's example, collapsing into her pillow face first.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kouta woke up blushing, having just experienced an incredibly erotic dream involving Nyu. He let himself cool off and got up. When he arrived into the dining room for breakfast, he saw everyone watching the news. Then he remembered the violent news report from the previous evening.

"Good morning Kouta," Yuka said. "Can you believe it? They're still cleaning up the mess in Nagoya."

Kouta sat down and watched the news.

"It's been just under nine hours," The reporter said, "since the terrifying fight that took place here. Police have confirmed more than a dozen dead bodies belonging to members of an unknown group of gunmen. Witnesses claim that these gunmen were in pursuit of an unidentified mother and her child, and that the mother retaliated with a shotgun. Police suspect that this incident might be a Yakuza hit that backfired."

"If you ask me," Mayu said, "All mothers should be that dedicated to their children." Kouta could not help but observe that she said this with a hint of bitterness in her voice. Given how willingly she surrendered custody of Mayu to him and Yuka, He could only infer that her mother was a terrible parent, but to what extent, he could only speculate.

The image on the television changed to the footage that they all saw last night, an aerial view of the woman with the shotgun and the young boy with her.

"The woman and the child," the reporter continued, "were last seen running for the Nagoya train station. It is believed that they boarded a train and escaped their pursuers. Their current whereabouts are unknown, as are those of the remaining gunmen."

Kouta turned his attention to his breakfast when the news changed stories

"Do you think they really got away?" Mayu asked. Kouta could tell that she was really routing for the mother and child.

"I'm sure they did," Yuka said. "The reporter seemed to think so."

He looked over to Nyu and blushed. She looked over to him and smiled.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Linus woke up late in the day. The sun shone in his eyes and he sat up. He cringed, as his abdomen was still fairly sore. He carefully stood up and spotted a fresh shirt laid next to his bed, with his iPod sitting next to it. He pulled off his bloodied t-shirt and put on the new one. It was a green button up shirt. As he put on his pants, he saw that Momo's bed was empty, and had been for some time. The boy picked up his iPod, opened the bedroom door and walked out into the hall.

He heard the sounds of many people moving about the house, but could not see anyone. He walked toward the stairs and almost ran into someone coming out of their room. It was a tall teenage girl who looked to have been up for a while, as she was dressed in a pair of high rise denim shorts, and a striped t-shirt, the former of which caused Linus to blush somewhat. Her hair was dark brown and tied up in a bun. She looked down at him with a look of confusion.

"Who are..." She began. "Oh, you're the little boy Momo brought with her aren't you?" Linus nodded, and the girl kneeled down to his level. Her pretty face made Linus's even redder. She ruffled his hair with affection. "Well aren't you just the cutest little fellow?"

"I, uh..." Linus stammered. "I...I..."

"Wow," the girl said. "You really do have horns. They're not how I pictured them though." Linus covered his horns with his hands. "Oh no! Don't be embarrassed. They're actually very cute." The boy lowered his hands and moved them behind his back. He was having difficulty meeting her beautiful brown eyes. "What's your name cutie?"

"Cutie..." The boy said. "I mean...Linus."

"Linus huh? I'm Kotori. Kotori Kuroki." She held out her hand and Linus shook it, keeping his gaze low. "If you're looking for Momo, she's downstairs talking to Hisoka."

"Thank you," Linus muttered. Kotori stood and turned, but looked back down at him.

"I almost forgot to tell you kid, if you run into Hina or Ai around here, watch yourself. They're a bit...odd."

"Odd?" Linus asked.

"Yeah. Here's a little advice about them: Don't fall asleep until they've already gone to bed, or...strange things may happen.

"Ooookay," Linus said.

Kotori turned and headed downstairs. Linus followed shortly after he diverted his thoughts away from Kotori's long legs. There were a lot more people downstairs, most of them moving about minding their own business. Linus wandered the hallways, looking for his mother. He flagged down a boy a bit older than he was and asked for directions.

"Momo?" He asked. "Oh, she's talking to Hisoka. I'll take you to them, but I wouldn't interrupt if I were you. It seems pretty serious."

The young boy led Linus through the house. He glanced at the Diclonius over his shoulder, looking him up and down.

"Is something wrong?" Linus asked.

"No. I'm just glad you're here. I can tell that Hina and Ai are going to _like_ you."

_Those names again, _Linus thought.

"Is...is that a good thing?"

"It is for me. Now maybe they'll leave me alone and focus on you." This comment gave Linus chills. "Here we are." The kid stopped in front of a set of sliding doors. Linus could hear arguing on the other side. "Careful, they've been going at it for over an hour." With that, the guide walked back the way they came. Linus opened the door slightly and peered in. Momo was arguing with a middle aged man in a suit.

"I'm telling you, Uncle," Momo said, "that monster is in league with those freaks! Hell, he may even be a Kakuzawa himself!"

"I'm not saying that that's impossible," Hisoka said. "I'm saying that we have no proof that he is. We can't just kick down their door based solely on your suspicions."

"Think about it! He said that he wanted to hurt my family! Who else hates us more than the Kakuzawa?"

"They may hate us the most, but they're not the only ones who hate us. Our family has many enemies you know."

"Well you have me there, but this time he said that he came for the boy. I believe his exact words were 'it's just business.'"

"Implying that he was hired to take the boy for someone?"

"Exactly! And who else do we know that wants him? There's Kakuzawa, and... that's about it. That old bastard certainly has the pull and resources to hire mercenaries, not to mention the motive! Hell, he's the _only _one with the freakin' motive"

"I agree, but like I said already, we still don't have any proof. We need to wait until the investigations are completed. The police are already sweeping your house and the mall. You just have to be patient."

Momo took a deep breath and exhaled. "Fine then. But what am I supposed to do in the mean time?"

"You and Linus can stay here," Hisoka said. "At least until all of this is sorted out. If it is Kakuzawa, then I don't think he'd dare strike at you here." Momo brought her hand to her sore shoulder.

"Guess I'd better make myself..." Momo broke off when she looked toward the door and saw a little red eye peering through it. Linus moved away, but she already saw him. "Okay, Linus. I know your there. Come on in." The boy opened the door and stepped inside. Hisoka knelt down and looked at him.

"I doubt if you remember me, kid," Hisoka said, "I'm Hisoka. I've been hoping to meet you soon." He held out a hand and Linus shook it. "I see you still like that iPod." Linus looked down at his other hand, then back up at Hisoka.

"Nice to meet you sir," Linus said.

"I'm glad to see that you're doing okay." Hisoka said. He stood up and walked toward the door, and turned back to Momo. "I'll be heading to Tokyo tomorrow. I'll see if I can dig up any more answers."

"Thank you, Uncle." Hisoka bid Linus a good day and left.

"So kiddo," Momo said, "how long have you been up?"

"A few minutes," Linus said.

"Want to get some breakfast?" Momo asked. Linus's stomach rumbled as if on cue. "Sounds like it." She led Linus to the kitchen and made them their usual breakfast. They were the only two eating, as every other Kuroki in the house had already eaten their breakfast. They both pounded it down like it was the first meal they had in ages. Momo was in the middle of a bite when she looked to one of the dining room doorways and stopped. Linus looked over and caught a glimpse of two rather strangely dressed girls looking in on them, specifically him. They quickly ducked out of sight once he spotted them.

"Oh boy," Momo said. "I forgot about them."

"Who are they?"

"Those two are Ai and Hina. A pair of sisters, both of them die hard otaku."

"Oh," Linus said. "That explains their clothes."

"Watch yourself around them, kiddo. With those horns of yours, they're gonna have a field day with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I means that if you let you're guard down, you'll go to bed in your pajamas, and wake up in a dress, or worse."


	21. Chapter 20: Nousou's Motive

Chapter 20

Nousou's Motive

Kakuzawa was more enraged than Arakawa had ever heard him, as was Colonel Sokolov. She could hear them arguing through the Director's office door. They were arguing about the failed operation to capture the male Diclonius the previous evening. Arakawa had watched the news report of the incident earlier that morning and suspected that they had plenty to argue about. She decided to make herself scarce.

She was walking back toward her own office to continue research on the virus when she heard a terrible screaming coming from somewhere down the hall. It sounded like the wailing of a small child, something she had been hearing a lot recently, although it was much louder this time. She felt compelled to investigate this one.

As she got to the door, the screaming abruptly stopped. She opened the door to find Nousou standing through an observation window with two assistants. Nousou looked up when he heard her enter.

"Arakawa," he said, a pocky snack sticking out of his mouth like a cigar. "What brings you here?"

"I heard a really loud scream in here," she answered.

"Oh, that was silpelit clone number 41 in there," Nousou said, pointing to the window. "Come take a look."

"Clone?"

"One of the clones we made," he explained, "to harvest their growth hormone. Remember? For the male Diclonius's aging tank?"

"Oh yes," Arakawa said. "Just what are you doing to her?"

"Director's orders," Nousou said, "He's got me working on a new project to help us catch Lucy. And from what I heard about last night, the boy too."

Arakawa stepped up to the window. Inside was a naked silpelit strapped to a surgical bed. She resembled an already deceased silpelit that Arakawa had read a file on, Number 9, if she remembered correctly, though she looked older than the original. She was connected to a life support unit and heart monitor. There was a large robotic arm hanging from the ceiling connected to her forehead. She had an empty look in her eyes, like her soul had been torn from her being.

"Okay Tada," Nousou said. "Go ahead and remove the arm and open her restraints."

"Yes sir," Tada said. He operated a panel of button and levers. The steel bands around the girl's wrist and ankles opened, and the arm separated from the Diclonius's head. It left behind a steal band around her forehead with a large circular part in the center of it.

"Okay, clone," Nousou said into a microphone, "Stand up."

The silpelit rose from the bed and stood.

"Good," Nousou said. "Now I want you to pick up the knife on the tray next to you." The silpelit obeyed and picked up a large kitchen knife. "Now cut your arm." Arakawa looked to Nousou in astonishment, then back through the window. The silpelit ran the blade along the length of her arm. Blood dripped from the wound, and the silpelit lowered the knife. She did not cry out or cringe.

"Very good," Nousou said to his assistants. "And now for the tricky part."

"My fingers are crossed," Tada said. Nousou pressed the button on the microphone.

"Okay," he said, "Now I want you to lift the tray with your vectors."

The clone turned to the tray, and after a moment, it lifted from its stand. Nousou looked hopeful for a moment, but his glee quickly vanished when a spurt of blood shot out from the circle on her headband. The tray fell to the floor, and the silpelit collapsed. Her heart monitor flatlined in less than a minute.

"Dammit," Nousou exclaimed. "That's the eleventh failure in a row!"

_Eleventh?, _Arakawa thought.

"Go take a lunch break you two," Nousou said to his assistants. They both left the room, and Nousou sat down and buried his face into his hands, frustrated. Arakawa looked down at him, and felt that this was as good a time as any to ask him what she's been wanting to ask him since she first met him in Nagoya.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked. Nousou lifted his head and looked to her.

"Pardon me?" He asked.

"You know full well what the Director's really trying to do here, don't you?"

"Of course I do. He wants to give the world to the Diclonius, and bring down the old human race."

"Bring down the old human race," Arakawa said. "Why are you helping him do that. Aren't you one of the old human race?"

"My concern isn't for myself," Nousou said. "I'm doing this for humanity's future. The human race needs to evolve, and after two hundred millennia, we're finally ready to. You've seen the power that the Diclonii possess. You've seen how intelligent they are. They are superior to us in almost every way. The superior species thrives. That's the way the world works."

"And it doesn't bother you at all that Kakuzawa is intent on ruling the new humanity himself?"

"Why should it? He's charismatic and intelligent, and you've seen his horns, haven't you?"

Arakawa shuddered at the memory. "I have."

"Seems the ideal choice to me. And when he passes on, his son will rule side by side with Lucy, and their children will inherit the Earth."

"But if those two mate with each other, it would be incest. Inbreeding. If the human race is wiped out, Lucy's descendants would be doomed without a genetically diverse population. It wouldn't work, and the new humanity would eventually go extinct anyway."

Nousou turned in his chair to face her directly.

"First of all," he said, "Lucy and the director's son only share one parent, so there is enough diversity between the two of them for healthy children to be born for one generation. Secondly, I will admit that you're point did actually cross my mind, and I was actually concerned about the succeeding generations. That is until you came along."

"Me?"

"Yes. Thanks to your efforts, we have discovered that more fertile 'monarch' Diclonii can be born if Lucy's virus is joined with her brother's. All we have to do is isolate the completed virus, spread it out, and Kakuzawa's grandchildren will have others to breed with in the future. The Diclonii will thrive, and Homo sapiens will join its ancestors in extinction. It's as simple as that."

Arakawa stood stunned. As appalling as this horrible plan was, she was even more frightened at the logic of it. It could actually work.

"I'm even thinking of infecting myself with the whole virus, and fathering a monarch Diclonius of my own. Even though I will die with the rest of mankind, I can still produce superior descendants to join the Director's grandchildren. You could too you know."

Arakawa's eyes widened, and she became very uncomfortable.

"Think about it," he continued in a flirtatious tone, "You should consider mothering a Diclonius yourself if you want your genes to have any future at all."

"Uh," She said, "No offense Nousou, but you're really not my type."

Nousou shrugged. "Suit yourself. Now if you have nothing more to ask, I should really get back to work."

"So should I," Arakawa said. She turned and walked out of the room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Early the following morning, Momo sat with Itsumi at the dining room table, her face in the palm of her right hand. While she was frustrated at the Youtube video playing on the laptop in front of her, its owner was having the time of her life.

"I really like this part," Itsumi said, rewinding the video. The laptop played footage of Momo axe kicking one of the mercenaries in the throat. It was taken by the teen who hid with Linus in the clothing store.

"I should have shoved that phone right down his throat," Momo grumbled.

"Him," Itsumi said, "and about nine dozen other shoppers." Itsumi clicked on another tab and a video played of Momo using one merc as a bullet shield. Luckily, the one shooting the video had not managed to get a shot of her face, or Linus's.

Momo moaned, completely frustrated. She squeezed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, clenching her eyes shut.

"Oh man," Itsumi said, "That car nearly got you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Momo moaned. "Laugh it up, cousin."

Itsumi switched to yet another tab. This video showed Momo's near death experience with the sniper. Her face wound throbbed when she saw her past self on the screen flinch when the sniper's round grazed her.

"So that's what did...that?" Itsumi said, pointing to the bandage on Momo's face.

"Yes," Momo said, rubbing the bandage with her index finger.

"And you say that you're kid is the one who blocked that?"

"He sure did. God, I've really come to love that little horned tyke."

"OH, MY GOD!" A voice screamed upstairs. Momo and Itsumi looked up around the ceiling, then turned to the stairs when they heard rapid footfalls running down them. Linus appeared, wearing what appeared to be a skin tight red jumpsuit, with black sections on the arms and legs. It and a black 02 on the chest just beneath his collarbone. His horns had been painted a dark shade of red to distinguish them from his lighter poppy red hair, complemented with a thin black stripe painted around them.

Itsumi broke out laughing, and Momo swatted her face with the back of her hand without turning around, though she was having difficulty keeping a straight face herself.

"Damn," Momo said, suppressing a grin and a chuckle, "They got you, didn't they? They sure didn't waste any time."

"What the heck am I wearing?" Linus asked, turning in place, moving his hands on the suit, looking for a zipper or button. Judging from the way he was squirming in it, Momo inferred that the costume was uncomfortable.

"Not sure," Momo said. "Whatever it is, I didn't see the source material."

"They painted Ami and Yumi!" Linus screamed. "Nobody touches Ami and Yumi!"

"Ami and Yumi?" Itsumi asked, holding her nose. Momo stood up.

"He named his horns," Momo said to her cousin. To Linus, she said, "C'mon kiddo. Let's go get that off of you." She led the confused Diclonius up the stairs. Once they were out of sight, Itsumi broke out laughing again.

Once Momo and Linus were at the top of the stairs, Ai Kuroki burst from a nearby bedroom and took a picture of the embarrassed young boy with a small camera. She was wearing a jumpsuit similar to his, though hers was white with black stripes and accents, orange stripes running over the shoulders, and a black 00 on her chest. Her short hair dyed blue, and she was wearing strange white clips on the sides of her head.

"Ai," Momo exclaimed, "Goddammit!" She tried to swat the camera out of the otaku's hand, but she moved it away quickly and closed the bedroom door. Momo opened it back up, but just missed her as Ai had jumped through a panel in the ceiling. "Damn, she's slippery."

"Her costume was like mine," Linus observed. Momo led him to his bedroom.

"They definitely have a theme going," Momo said. She shut the bedroom door and sat Linus down. She searched the suit, but could not find a zipper or a button to unfasten the tight garment. "They really outdid themselves this time. I can't figure out how to get it off."

"Are you saying that they made this themselves?" Linus asked.

"Most likely," Momo said. "They've been doing this kind of thing since they were little. I can see them with a future in fashion design." Eventually, she gave up looking for a zipper, and stood up. "Wait here a sec."

Momo briefly left the bedroom, and returned seconds later with a pocket knife. She pulled some of the boy's clothes out of a drawer and sat them next to him, then crouched down and carefully cut down the back of the jumpsuit.

"Ooh la la," A voice said from up above. It was a voice Momo recognized. She and Linus looked up and saw a ceiling panel pulled open slightly. A pair of eyes were looking through the opening.

"Hina!" Momo exclaimed. She threw her knife into one of the wooden beams near the opening. Hina let out a startled yelp, and put the panel back where it belonged. Momo could hear her retreat through the ceiling.

"How did they get up there?" Linus asked.

"My whole family trains in martial arts," Momo explained. "When your well versed in that, moving into difficult areas simply requires a little imagination."

"I'd say they have that in spades," Linus said. Momo laughed as she ripped away the costume. She was grateful they left his underwear on under the suit. Linus put on his regular clothes faster than he ever had before. "Did they ever get you like this?"

"Only once," Momo said. "On my twenty seventh birthday, I woke up dressed like Nagi Kirima. I was actually very flattered."

"I can see that," Linus said.

"Okay then," Momo said, "Let's go see if we can get that paint off your horns."

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

**To all of you anime fans out there, I'm sure you can guess who they dressed Linus up as.**


	22. Chapter 21: Sketchbook

Chapter 21

Sketchbook

A week passed since the mercenaries attacked, and the police had finished collecting evidence at her house and unsealed the crime scene. Momo stood outside of her house with two other members of her clan. Saburo stood to her left, and his younger brother Eiji to her right. They were here both there to watch her back, and to carry any of her things that survived the shootout. She had decided to leave Linus back at the estate, just in case the remaining mercenaries were waiting for her to return. She and her companions were armed and ready for any ambush.

"Damn, Momo," Eiji said, "They really fucked your place up."

"You should see the inside," Momo said.

The house's owner rubbed the long scar near her eye, then led her guests through the front door. Saburo's jaw dropped when he looked into the living room and saw scorch marks and dried blood stains where the furniture and entertainment center used to be the remains of which had been taken by the forensic investigators.

"Dear god," he exclaimed, "What the hell happened to living room?"

"Hand grenade," Momo answered. "Best I could do on short notice."

"That was such a nice TV, Momo," Saburo complained. "Not to mention your playstation."

"Get over it," Eiji said, "Let's just get her stuff and go."

Momo led the pair of siblings up the stairs and into her bedroom. Both brothers' jaws dropped when they saw the large hole in the floor near her bed.

"What the fuck did this?" They both said simultaneously.

"Linus."

"What?" Saburo said, "That little kid did this?"

"It saved the day actually," Momo said. "Now come on, let's get packing."

"These Diclonii are scarier than I thought," Eiji muttered.

The three Kuroki opened the duffle bags they were carrying, and packed up Momo's clothes. After that, they moved her larger exercise equipment into the small cargo van outside.

"Okay," Momo said, "Time for Linus's things."

They moved up to her ward's bedroom, which was largely unmolested. She walked in and saw that the closet door was wide open, and that its contents were heavily disturbed and displaced. She then remembered what Linus had told her, that the unknown man was waiting for him there.

_Bastard, _She thought

"You okay, Momo?" Eiji asked, having noticed the anger in her face.

"He was hiding in here," Momo said, pointing at the closet. "Waiting. He must have snuck in downstairs while we were out, waited in this closet, then tried to take Linus here, but the little guy was faster than he was counting on."

"You mean..." Saburo said, "The guy who...who killed..."

"Yes," Momo said, bringing her hand to the shoulder that the pedophile had injured, the feeling of molten steel flowing through her still fresh in her mind. "The very one."

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Eiji began packing the boy's clothes and Saburo carefully removed the Mothra poster from the wall. Momo opened up the nightstand next to his bed and found the sketchbook that she bought him back at Oasis 21. She opened the first page and saw a very impressive drawing of Mothra. On the next page was an equally impressive and incredibly detailed drawing of the moon.

_Wow. Kid's got talent._

She skimmed though the pages and stopped on one that surprised her. It was a detailed drawing of a human skeleton, with each and every one of the bones labeled. The next page was a drawing of the muscles.

"Huh."

The following pages were mostly of complex sketches of various, seemingly random machines and lifeforms. The first one was a relatively simple diagram of a garbage disposal. The one after was a labeled schematic of car engine, followed by one of a complete motorcycle. After that, there was one of a pitcher plant, and one of a duck billed platypus.

_Okay, now this is getting weird. _

As she turned the pages, the sketches became increasingly sophisticated. There were schematics and diagrams of buildings, machines, plants, and animals. Toward the last sixth of the book, the pictures became things she could not recognize. Some of them were even labeled with words she had rarely heard outside of science fiction, and others came with complex math equations on the accompanying page.

_Okay, I knew the kid was crazy smart, but there is no way a child his age should know this much! Not even the greatest child prodigies can know this much so early in their lives. It's just not possible! _

"What are you looking at Momo," Saburo asked. Momo looked up and handed him the book.

"See for yourself," She said. "That's Linus's sketchbook." Saburo started flipping the pages and Eiji looked over his shoulder. It was not long before they began to look surprised.

"God damn," Eiji said. "Is this kid some sort of genius?"

"Wow," Saburo said, pointing at a page. "I think this one's a computer chip. Is that a computer chip?"

"Looks like one," Eiji said. Saburo turned the page.

"This is Tokyo Tower," he said.

"Forget that," Eiji said, "This check out this one. This one looks like a...DNA strand with all the...parts."

"Genes, you mean?"

"Yeah, those."

Momo stood up and grabbed the sketchbook.

"I'll take that," she said. "He'll be wanting this back, I'm sure."

"We may want to pick him up a new one while we're out," Saburo said. "That one's almost used up."

"Good idea," Momo said. Once they finished packing up all they needed, Saburo got into the cargo van while Momo rode shotgun with Eiji. She carried with her the sketchbook and her favorite childhood toy. She was grateful that both survived the firefight.

"You said that kid was smart, but damn!" Eiji said.

"I know," Momo said. "Too smart. It doesn't make sense."

"What are you worried about?" Eiji asked.

"Nothing," Momo said. "Let's just go."

Before they got halfway home, Momo's cellphone played Ride of the Valkyries. She hit answer.

"Uncle," She said, "Are you back from Tokyo yet?"

"Yes." Hisoka said, "I just got back to the estate."

"Please tell me you got something new this time."

"I got some new information on the Diclonni, but it isn't much. I also have some information on the men who came after you."

"Sounds good." Momo looked at the sketchbook sitting in her lap. "There's actually something I want to show you too."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakuzawa was getting desperate. Not only had the operation failed, but Hunter Seeker lost half of its soldiers and both his son and "the dragon" guarding him were now in a place that he could not attack. To make matters worse, he was no closer to finding Lucy. It was as if she had disappeared off of the face of the Earth. As much as he did not want to admit it, He was going to have to prepare his backup plan. He picked up the phone and dialed the number for his own family's estate. His conversation was very short.

"I need Anna sent over to the institute," He said, "I want her here by tomorrow morning."

Kakuzawa hung up the phone and put his hand to his head.

"Damn," He muttered. "I did not want to resort to this."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Momo got back to the estate at around six in the evening. Soon after she and the others walked through the front door, she found Hisoka sitting with Linus near the back of the living room. She was glad to see that he was taking time to get to know her new son. If the two of them got along well, it would improve their chances of keeping him away from Kakuzawa. The only other people in the living room were Kotori, her older brother Isamu, and their first cousin Gorou, who were all sitting in front of the television playing a fairly violent racing game. Apparently, Isamu was winning it.

As she stepped into the living room, she caught sight of Ai and Hina peering around the opposite doorway, watching Linus, no doubt contemplating their next "project." They darted away when they noticed Momo looking at them.

"No costumes today, you two?" She shouted after them. Linus and Hisoka looked up at her.

"It was a school day!" Hina shouted back.

"Did you get all of our stuff?" Linus asked.

"Sure did." He said. "Listen kiddo, I know I ask you this a lot, but have you regained any of your memories prior to the hospital?"

Linus thought about it and shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, but I still remember nothing before that."

"Hmm." Momo looked over to the three other Kuroki playing their video game, then back to her uncle. "Can we go somewhere more private you two? My room maybe?

"Sure," Hisoka said. Momo led her uncle and her son to her bedroom, and they sat down on the floor. Hisoka pulled two files from his jacket. "How about we start with what I have?"

"Show us," Momo said. Hisoka handed her the file, and she sat it on the floor for Linus to see. There was not much in there. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful uncle, but is this all you have?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Queen Diclonius?" Linus asked, reading the file. "What's a queen Diclonius?"

"Apparently," Hisoka said, "this 'queen' was the first Diclonius. She's the one who spread the virus to begin with."

"Really?" Momo said. She laid out the individual pages on the floor and looked over them.

"This queen," Hisoka continued, "Was captured about three years ago, and was held at Kakuzawa's institute until she managed to escape. She killed a lot of people on her way out."

"There's no picture of her," Momo said. "There's not even a name here."

"It was hard enough getting what I got. That old bastard does not make it easy."

Once they were finished going through it, Momo gathered up the papers and put them back in their folder. Hisoka handed her a thicker one next.

"And this one is...?" She asked.

"The ones who came after you. You were right, Momo. They were mercenaries. A unit called Hunter Seeker."

"Hunter Seeker?" Momo asked as she started flipping through the file.

"Yes. All of them are Russians. The squad's leader, Colonel Sergei Sokolov, was once a member of the Soviet military, and was later recruited by the KGB."

"Big surprise there," Momo commented, looking at his photograph.

"He was very skilled at finding people who did not want to be found, a skill the KGB no doubt found valuable. Of course, when the Soviet Union collapsed...

"Yeah," Momo interrupted, "I've seen this movie. When the Commies went bye bye, he privatized his skills, yes?"

"Right on the money," Hisoka said, "When he left the KGB, he recruited most of his mercs from their ranks, or from the army. He recruited more over the decades."

"If I'm looking at the file right, I must have cut their numbers in half last week."

"Roughly. You and Linus here had better be careful, Momo. After what you did to them, I'd bet my remaining kidney that they will want revenge."

"I'll be ready for them," She said. "Okay, now it's my turn. Linus?" The little boy looked up at her. She pulled out a black book, and a smile formed on his face. "I found this in your nightstand. I figured you want it back?"

"Oh, very much," Linus said.

"I took a look at it. I have to say you're pretty good. Do you mind if I show this to Hisoka?"

"Sure," Linus said.

"Good. Take a look at this uncle." She handed Hisoka the sketchbook and he flipped through it one page at a time. Momo waited patiently until he was finished. He was perplexed.

"You drew all of this?" Hisoka said to Linus. The boy nodded. "Well...I don't know what to say."

"You don't like them?" Linus asked.

"No it's not that. I...they're very good drawings, it's just, they're just so advanced. A child your age should not know...this much about so...much. Don't take this the wrong way, but that just isn't...normal."

"My thoughts exactly," Momo said.

"It isn't?" Linus asked.

"No, it isn't," Momo said. "We need to uncover your lost memories. That way, we could figure out where you learned all of this."

"What's the hurry?" Hisoka asked.

"Something's bothering me about this. My gut tells me that this is important."

"But how can I make my memories come back?" Linus asked.

All three of them gave it some thought. Momo eventually spoke up.

"Say uncle, is Shinji still seeing that therapist?"

"Dr. Fujimoto?" Hisoka asked. "Yes, he's been seeing him for almost four years."

"Does he do house calls?"

"He might, but...hold on. I think I see where you're going with this."

"Yep. Hypnosis. Ever been hypnotized before kiddo?" Linus shot her an annoyed look. "Oh right, you don't remember. Sorry."

"Hypnosis is..." Linus said, "...not and exact science Mom."

"I was about to say that myself," Hisoka said.

"Me too," a voice said from above. All three of them looked up to see Ai looking down at them. Momo threw a pocket knife up into the beam above her, and Ai closed the panel and fled.

"Good grief," Linus said. "Does she ever stop?"

"Never," Momo said. "Anyway, I think hypnosis is the only option we have here. Worst case scenario, we discover nothing new and we wait a little longer."

Linus thought about it.

"Okay. I'll give it a try."

"Good." She stood up and left the room. Linus and Hisoka heard her knock on another bedroom door. "Hey Shinji? Does your therapist do house calls?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Anna stood before her father in his office. He stood over her in front of his desk, looking down at her. The young girl fidgeted nervously. Due to her academic failings, she had always felt like a failure in his eyes. Despite his repeated statements that she was superior to other humans, and his confidence that her latent intellect would awaken with time, she never truly believed it.

"Anna," Kakuzawa said, "I need your help."

The girl lifted her head and looked the Director in his eyes.

"Lucy is still missing," he continued, "and your little brother is still in the hands of our oldest enemies. Although the new Adam to our race still lives, we may need to consider the possibility that Lucy may be dead, as much as I do not want to believe it. If indeed she is, then I need you to take her place."

Anna's eyes widened.

"But Father," she said, "I...I do not..."

Kakuzawa removed his toupee, exposing his own horns, and continued talking.

"Our holy bloodline has been polluted by centuries of breeding with the inferior humanity. It is for this reason that I myself cannot mate with Lucy. Only a pure Diclonius, your brother, is worthy to sire the next generation. But if Lucy is indeed gone, we will need a new queen...you."

Anna's hand wandered to the side of her head, and rubbed the tiny stubs beneath her hair. Most other member's of her family, including her grandmother and her late older brother believed her little horns to be a joke. She bowed her head in shame.

"How can I be the new queen father?" She asked. "I am more polluted than any of us. I am stupid and weak."

"There is a way to purify your blood," Kakuzawa said. Anna looked up again. "We have not tested it yet, but there is a gene therapy that will make you into a full Diclonius. We will infuse you with the remaining samples that we have of Lucy's DNA. For added power, we will include some of the genes from Silpelit 36, the most powerful Diclonius that ever existed. You will be the new queen of the Diclonii, more powerful than Lucy."

"I will be superior?" Anna asked.

"Indeed you will. You will be more powerful than anyone alive."

Anna's eyes welled up with tears of joy. She would finally be able to help her father achieve the dream of their whole family.

"I must warn you though that there are dangers. As I have said, this gene therapy is untested."

"I will risk them father," Anna interjected with a smile. "I will become the new queen and make you proud!"

Kakuzawa smiled.

"Thank you, Anna. Thank you."


	23. Chapter 22: Therapy

Chapter 22

Therapy

Anna lay on the reclined chair wearing nothing but her underwear, an emotional mixture of eagerness and apprehension welling within her heart. Several intravenous drips were hooked into her arms, feeding nutrients into her bloodstream. It would not be long before they flowed with the DNA that would make her worth something to her father and the rest of her family. Her father and Arakawa looked down on her from the observation room above. Nousou was down in the room with her, double checking the equipment.

"Everything is ready to go," Nousou said. The eccentric scientist walked up the stairs and joined Anna's father. Kakuzawa spoke to Anna over the intercom.

"Are you ready to begin Anna?"

"I am," Anna said, forcing a tone of confidence, even though every instinct in her being was telling her to back out.

"The genes are loaded and ready to be administered," Arakawa said.

Kakuzawa looked down at his daughter one more time, and she looked at him. Both of them had their doubts, but they also knew that they could not turn back.

"Begin the injections," he said firmly.

The IVs began flowing with Diclonius DNA. It was not long before Anna could feel her body changing. She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting her transformation take its course.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Linus sat in the waiting room of Doctor Fujimoto's office in the chair between his Mother and Shinji Kuroki. Momo was on high alert for any more unexpected visitors, rather annoyed that Shinji's therapist did not do house calls. A man sitting across from him stared at him, his expression betraying his disgust at Linus's horns.

"It's impolite to stare." Shinji said to him. The man picked up a magazine and hid behind it, intimidated by Shinji's imposing physique.

"Pussy," Momo muttered.

The doctor's office door opened, and a woman walked out of it, crying into a tissue. Doctor Takeshi Fujimoto stepped out and wished her a good day. The psychiatrist was average height, with short brown hair. He wore a tan suit and a pair of thick rimmed glasses.

"Kuroki?" He said, "Your next."

Shinji and Momo got up and led Linus into the doctor's office.

"So," Fujimoto said, "This is the young man with memory problems, Kuroki?"

"That's him," Shinji said. "Oh, and this is Momo. She's his mother...well, legal guardian."

"Charmed, young lady," Fujimoto said. Momo nodded to him, and turned his attention to his current patient.

"Well I must say," Fujimoto said to Linus, "I didn't think Shinji was serious, but he was. You really do have horns."

"And superpowers," Linus said with a cheerful tone. The doctor smiled at him.

"And a missing childhood," Shinji said. "Are you sure you can get it back, doc?"

"Well I'm not certain," Fujimoto said. "I've never had a patient with memory loss as severe as what you described to me. Did you bring me that sketchbook you talked about?"

Shinji nodded to Momo, who pulled it out of the computer bag she brought with her, and handed it to the doctor. Fujimoto looked through it.

"You drew all of this, young man?" Linus nodded. "And you don't remember where you learned...this?" Linus shook his head. "Hmm." Fujimoto handed the sketchbook back to Momo.

"Is this...memory hypnosis something you've practiced a lot?" Momo asked him.

"I admit," he said, "I only get to use it every so often, but the few times I've done it, I have been fairly successful." Momo stared at him, thinking it over.

"Linus?" She said, "Do you want to go through with this?"

The boy looked up at her, then at the therapist, then back to her.

"I'm game," he said with a smile.

_This kid is just too cute!_ Momo thought.

"Okay then," she said.

"Alright," Fujimoto said. "If your ready to start Linus, please take a seat here." The doctor led his new patient to a chair. Linus sat down, and Fujimoto pulled up another chair and sat directly in front of him. Momo and Shinji sat down on the couch that most other patients used.

"Okay, Linus," Fujimoto said, "this works kind of like you see in the movies. I am going to put you into a trance, and we're going to delve into your subconscious."

Linus took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

"Before we begin, I want you to tell me the first thing that you do remember. How far back does your memory go?"

"A little over a month ago," Linus said. "I remember waking up in a hospital bed. The first thing I saw was the light on the ceiling. Bright and white. The bed was so soft. I don't think I had felt anything like it before."

"If you remember nothing before that, then what makes you so sure?"

"It felt soooooo soft. So...new. Everything I felt was so new. It was all new. All of it."

"Hmmm. Go on."

"I remember being startled when I saw mom for the first time. She was sitting in the chair near my bed, watching me." Fujimoto looked over to Momo, who nodded to him.

"Okay," Fujimoto said. "Now I want you to look at my face, and listen to my voice. I want you to focus on them, and keep them fresh in your mind. Do you have them?"

"Yes."

"Now look into my eyes, and then close _your_ eyes slowly. Keep listening to my voice."

Linus slowly closed his eyes, the last thing in his vision being the doctors eyes.

"Now I want you to imagine yourself in that hospital again, lying in that soft bed, only imagine yourself as you are now."

While Linus's actual eyes remained closed, in his mind he opened them. He was looking at that same ceiling he saw all those weeks ago, the fluorescent lights shining down on him. He moved his hands around and felt that he was not wearing a hospital gown, but his jeans, shoes, and his black t-shirt with Espeon on the front.

"Now instead of your mother," Fujimoto's voice said, "I want you to imagine me in that chair."

Linus lifted his head and saw the psychiatrist sitting there staring at him.

"Do you see me?" The doctor said.

"I sure do," Linus said.

"Good. That means that you're where you need to be. Now I want you to get out of that bed, and walk out of this room."

"Okay." Linus stood and walked past the mental projection of Fujimoto, who simply watched him go. Despite the increasing distance between the two, the doctor's voice was still quite audible in his mind.

"Now head for the hospital's nearest exit, and stand in front of the door."

Linus boarded the nearest elevator, rode down, and stepped onto the hospital's first floor. For some reason, it did not seem strange that the hospital was completely empty. He walked through the halls until he saw an emergency exit and walked toward it.

"Okay," he said, "I'm at an exit."

"Behind the exit," Fujimoto's voice said, "is your subconscious, the only place where your lost memories can be. Take a deep breath." Linus inhaled slowly, then exhaled. "Steel yourself for whatever may be there. When you feel ready, I want you to open that door, and walk through it."

Linus took a step toward the door. He could hear muffled sounds coming through it, but he could not make out much. They were very chaotic sounds that brought an oddly familiar feeling, a feeling of great discomfort. He took another three deep breaths and placed his hand on the door's handle.

"I'm going through the door," Linus said, his eyes still closed.

"Now tell us," Fujimoto said, "What do you see." Momo and Shinji leaned forward in anticipation.

For a moment, Linus was quiet. Then, with no warning, he lurched forward and fell out of his chair, almost making Fujimoto fall out of his. All three adults stood up, and Linus gripped his head, moaning loudly.

Momo sensed the danger and wasted no time. She grabbed Fujimoto and yanked him away from the child right as his vectors destroyed both the chairs they had been sitting in. The therapist was astonished at what he witnessed, but before he could say anything, Momo had pulled him and Shinji behind the couch, making sure it was at least a meter away from Linus.

"Good god," Fujimoto said.

"What the hell?" Shinji asked.

"Dammit," Momo said, "I thought we were done with this!"

Linus's vectors flailed around the room. They swept across his desk, sending papers and knick knacks flying. Handprints appeared out of nowhere on the carpet, and photographs fell off of the wall.

"Am I to assume," Fujimoto said, "that he wasn't joking about having superpowers?'"

"Yes," Momo said.

"Is this how it was when you first found him?" Shinji asked.

"Yes," Momo said, "although..." As she watched the familiar scene in front of her, she realized that it was not as bad as the first time it happened. The poor Diclonius was struggling to keep control. "Doctor, do you think he can still hear you?"

"I uh..."

"Say something to him."

"Okay, I'll try." He rose up a bit and raised his voice. "Linus! Linus, can you hear me?"

The thrashing of the phantom limbs slowed and then seemingly vanished, although Momo had been around them enough to recognize the faint hum of their vibrations. They were still there, their master was simply keeping them at bay.

"I...I hear you," Linus groaned, "But it's...hard!"

"Tell me," Fujimoto continued, "what do you see?"

"I see...everything!"

"Everything? What do you mean?"

Linus's vectors grabbed any object within range and squeezed tightly. Some of them grabbed the carpet and pulled patches of it off the floor.

"EVERYTHING!," Linus exclaimed through gritted teeth.

Linus's vectors began thrashing again, but then abruptly stopped, and his heavy breathing slowed.

"What is it?" Fujimoto asked. "Do you see something?"

"It's dark," Linus said in a much lower voice. "It's dark. Cold." He started flailing around on the floor. "I'm trapped! It's dark!"

All three adults sensed this break in the pattern, and its importance.

"Linus! Focus on my voice! Focus!" The boy calmed down, but remained tense. "Tell me. What do you remember?"

"I...I break free!"

"Break free of what?"

"The dark."

"And then what?"

Linus tried hard to focus on the memories, but it was difficult. As they replayed in his mind, he relayed what he saw to the voice of Dr. Fujimoto.

He opened his eyes to see himself lying on a cold floor. It was wet, covered in water, glass, and pieces of a broken machine of some kind. He crawled over the pieces, cutting himself on sharp pieces of steel and glass. On his arms, he saw wires sticking out of them, as well as bloody cuts and scrapes. He tried to crawl forward, but his mind was overwhelmed by 'everything' again. At first, the images and noises were painful, but the longer he endured it, the less painful it became. Because his mind had stabilized a long time ago, he began to register the images with clarity and calm, something Momo was relieved to see, though his vectors still hovered around him. As he rode the tumultuous waves of 'everything,' Doctor Fujimoto decided to ask him again what he meant by the word.

"I see images," Linus said, "and I hear...things."

"Describe them to me," the doctor said.

"I see...an elephant. An airplane. A volcano. A trilobite. I hear people speaking. I hear words, language. Numbers. I see an anglerfish devouring another fish. I see an asteroid striking a planet. I see everything. I hear everything."

Linus sharply inhaled, and resumed normal breathing.

"What is it, Linus?"

"I feel the floor again. Cold, wet metal floor. I can hear people talking around me. I think I'm speaking."

"What do you say?"

"Ugonjwa. Neve. Flungzeug. Gibraltar shisaw kyawwat."

"This is just like I found him," Momo whispered to the others. "He was babbling in different languages, just like this."

"Jesus," Shinji said.

"Shum," Linus continued. "Des globules rouges."

"Okay," Fujimoto interrupted. "Moving forward, continue with what goes on around you."

"I see...blurry shapes. I think they're people."

"Who are they?"

"I don't know. I can only see one of them clearly."

"Tell me about the one you see."

"A woman."

"Your mother?"

"No. I don't know who she is. I stare at her, and she stares at me."

"I want you to focus on this woman. Can you describe her for me?"

"Average height," Linus said, "glasses, dark eyes. Long black hair, tied in a ponytail. She is wearing a lab coat, and a yellow shirt underneath. I can't tell if she's scared, or sad."

"Continue."

"I reach out to her. I tell her that it hurts. The noise hurts. I beg her to help me, then...everything returns."

"More random images?"

"Yes."

"Bare with them. Tell me, what comes after?"

Linus took a moment to get through the next wave of everything, then continued the story.

"I see a cracked window. I think that if I can break through it and get out of the room, maybe I can get away from the noise."

"By noise, you mean the 'everything?'"

"Yes."

"Go on."

"I charge through the window, and escape. I run down hallways until I find another window. I break through it and I fall down, down into a dumpster. My ghost hands protect me, but the noise comes back."

"Ghost hands?" Fujimoto whispers to the others.

"Superpowers," Momo and Shinji said.

"Ah."

"I try to get away from the noise, but it follows me. I fly on my hands through a rainstorm to get as far away as I can."

Linus continued his recount, and soon reaches a point Momo knows all too well, having witnessed it herself; his rampage through the city. It is not long before he recounts their meeting in Yaba park. He describes it in details that she remembers. She no longer had any doubts that the hypnosis was working.

"I feel a sharp pain in my shoulder," Linus said, "and I feel...angry."

"Oh boy," Momo said. She cringed as he described how he beat her around the park, and how close he came to killing her. Then he smiles as he recalls the beautiful music that calmed him down.

"Little broken hearts of the night," Linus sang, "Slowly picking up their knives..."

"Is this really how you met him?" The doctor asked Momo.

"Yes," Momo whispered, "Is there anyway to...rewind this? I need him to go back to before the 'noise.'"

"Linus," He said, interrupting his singing. "I want you to go back to when you first perceived everything, to when you were in the cold dark place."

After a moment, Linus spoke again.

"I'm there."

"I need you to go back further. Beyond the beginning of everything. Go back further and tell me what you see."

Linus was quiet for several minutes, and then...

"Nothing." He said.

"What?"

"There is nothing before that. Nothing at all."

Momo looked at Shinji. They both wore the same uneasy expressions, agitated that they did not get what they went to all this trouble for.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Fujimoto asked.

"I'm sure," Linus said. "First there's nothing, and then...everything."

Fujimoto looked back to the two Kuroki. Momo shook her head.

"Bring him out of it," She said. "I think we're through." Fujimoto nodded at her.

"Linus," He said, "Focus on the sound of my voice. Focus on it, and only it until you hear nothing else. Focus. Focus."

"I hear you. I hear you, and only you."

"Now I'm going to count to three, and snap my fingers. When you hear my fingers snap, I want you to wake up. Understand?"

"I understand."

"One. Two. Three." Fujimoto snapped his fingers, and Linus opened his eyes. He rubbed his face with his hands and looked around the room.

"Oh, my," he said, noticing the huge mess around him. "Did I do this?"

"Well...I got to see your superpowers," Fujimoto said with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh no," Linus moaned, "I did it again. I am so sorry. Did I hurt anyone?"

"I don't think so," Shinji said, "Are you okay doc?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Fujimoto said. "A little stunned, but I'm fine."

"Me too," Momo said. "Less stunned though."

"Don't worry about the mess," Fujimoto said, "I'll just send the bill to Shinji here."

"Yeah...HEY!" Shinji said,

Momo hugged her son tightly, then took him by the hand. The trio walked back into the waiting room. Linus stopped, turned back to the doctor, and bowed in apology.

"I'm really sorry about your office," He said.

Fujimoto shrugged. "It happens. I'm just sorry I couldn't get your memories back."

"Actually," Linus said, "I remember more than I did before. I would like to thank you for that."

"I'm glad I could help," Fujimoto said. Linus bowed again.

With that, Linus and the two Kuroki left, and the other patients in the waiting room, having heard the ruckus, all came out from their hiding places. The one who had stared at the boy's horns crawled out from under his chair, peered past the doctor and saw the state his office was in.

"Ah," Fujimoto said to him. "Mr. Suzuki. Your next, I believe."

The patient gulped.


	24. Chapter 23: Autumn

Chapter 23

Autumn

"And that's all he remembers?" Hisoka asked.

"I'm afraid so," Momo said. "He remembers absolutely nothing before that day."

The uncle sat with his niece on the porch, looking out at the estate's zen garden. Reiki Kuroki tended the garden, ever vigilant for anyone who might step in it. Momo waved to her, and Reiki acknowledged her with a nod.

"That's horrible, Momo," Hisoka said. "The first ten years of his life...just gone."

"I just don't understand how it's possible," Momo said. "How can his memories be buried THAT deep?"

"Hmmm." Uncle and niece thought about it hard, and Hisoka offered a theory. "Could he have been kept in a coma his whole life?"

"No way," Momo said. "No one can learn as much as he knows in a coma."

"Oh. Good point."

"Hey mom?" Momo looked behind her to see Linus standing over her, holding a brand new red sketchbook.

"Yeah?" Momo said.

"I, uh...I drew some of the things from that place. I don't know how much it will help." He handed the book to his mother. She opened it, and Hisoka leaned in to see. The first few pages were pictures of a broken machine on a wet floor, and samples of the 'everything' that he experienced, including an elephant, a volcano (Mount Sakurajima to be specific), an airplane (a World War II era Messerschmitt) and a trilobite. She looked through the pages until she stopped on one that caught her interest; It was a very detailed drawing of the woman he saw in his newly regained memories.

"Hey," Hisoka said.

"Yeah, I remember her too," Momo said. "That's the woman who was with Kakuzawa at the hospital!"

"Yes! What was her name again?"

Momo thought hard. "I don't remember. I didn't really pay her any mind at the time." The Diclonius sat down next to his mother. "Linus, did you happen to catch this woman's name?"

"No," Linus said after a moment's thought. "I'm sorry."

"Well, regardless of that," Momo said, "If this woman was there when Linus had his episode..."

"Then Kakuzawa probably was too," Hisoka said.

"Exactly. If anyone knows what happened to Linus's missing memories, it's him, and this woman."

"But we still have nothing to act on," Hisoka said. "A few memories and sketches aren't enough, Momo."

"I know," she said. "If only I had this woman's name, I'd hunt her down and pay her a visit. I guess we'll just have to wait."

"Wait?" Linus asked, "For what?"

"For Kakuzawa to make the next move. I don't like it, but it's all we can do at this point."

"Indeed," Hisoka said. "Tell you what Momo, I'll put out some feelers for the remaining members of Hunter Seeker. Perhaps they'll tell us something."

"Uncle," she said, her face suddenly grim, "put out some feelers for that...unknown bastard with the crossbow. He could know something too." Linus squeezed Momo's arm at the memory of that horrible man.

"Uh, feelers weren't really helpful with him last time," Hisoka said. "He was really good at covering his tracks."

"Please try anyway," Momo insisted, "Maybe we'll get lucky with him this time."

"All right," Hisoka said. "If we do find him though Momo, what will you do?" His niece turned her head to him and looked in his eyes.

"What do you think I'll do, Uncle Hisoka?" She said.

"I can guess. I'll make a few calls when I get a chance, and we'll see what we dig up. It will likely take a while though."

"I can wait." She said. "Thank you, Uncle."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Two months later.

Kakuzawa walked out of his office, and headed to Anna's quarters. A feeling of lament entered him. It was the first time in a while that he had a chance to visit her. He came up to her door, and slid a key card into the slot next to it. The door's latch released, and he pulled the door open. He walked in and saw his daughter with her back to him, sitting at a desk. She had heard him enter, and picked her helmet up from the desk in front of her with her vectors. She pulled the helmet's two halves apart, reassembled them around her head, and turned to face her father.

The helmet she wore was very similar to the restraint helmets placed upon the lab's Diclonii test subjects. Anna's was different however, as it had two large red lenses to see through, instead of three tiny holes for each eye like the others. There were some holes where the two halves of the helmet met to allow her abnormally long and misshapen horns to stick out of. Her long, now-hot pink hair hung out of a hole in the back. Apart from her helmet, she wore a tight black jumpsuit.

"Anna," Kakuzawa said, "You don't need to wear that thing when in my presence." The young girl bowed her head as if in penance.

"I failed you again father," She sobbed. "I deserve to wear this thing forever."

The gene therapy had been less successful than everyone had hoped. Despite gaining vectors more powerful than those of Lucy, or any other living Diclonius, her face had been badly disfigured, and her reproductive organs had been rendered useless. Her father's plan to make her the new Eve of the Diclonii had gone up in smoke.

_Now I HAVE to find Lucy. She's the only option I have left._

"I told you that there were risks Anna," Kakuzawa said. "The failure is not yours." Anna pulled up her legs, placed her chin on her knees, and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"Why can't I do anything right?" She sobbed.

Kakuzawa looked at her new horns. The right horn was over four inches long, and forked off in two directions halfway up. Her left horn was an inch and a half shorter than the right.

"You may no longer be able to bear children," Kakuzawa said, "but you possess the power of your ancestors. You are now a superior being, and your power will help our clan reclaim its birthright. I am more proud of you now than I ever have ever been before. Even your late brother was never worthy of the respect I now hold for you."

Anna raised her head. "Do you mean it father?"

"I do, Anna."

The young girl stood from her chair and hugged her father.

"Please, father," She said, "I will do anything you make our family's dream come true. Please, send me after the Kuroki. I will wipe them out, and reclaim my brother."

"Patience, Anna," he said. He would never admit it to her, but he did not want to send his only daughter into the territory of his greatest enemies, no matter how powerful she was."You are not yet ready to face the Kuroki. Not until you master your new powers." Anna was quiet for a moment, and then spoke up.

"I understand father."

Kakuzawa placed his hand on top of his daughter's helmet.

"Just be patient, dear Anna. Your time will come."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The forest around the Kuroki estate was vibrant with warm colored leaves, which slowly fell day by day. Linus stood outside in the family's martial arts training ground less than a meter in front of his mother, ready to do something he was not entirely comfortable with.

"I'm really not comfortable with this, mom," he said. Over the past two months, Momo had been trying to teach her son her family's style of martial arts. Most of Kuroki approved Momo's request to do this, a sign that her new son was being accepted by the family. As happy as this made him, he found that he had no real talent for combat. Now he was helping Momo with some new training of her own.

"C'mon kiddo," she said with a grin, "I'm tough. I can handle it."

"But I could hurt you."

"Just start off gently, and don't vibrate your vectors too fast."

"Okay," he said uneasily. "I'll just start of with one arm, okay?"

"Sure, sure." Momo took up a combat stance.

Linus summoned one vector, and shot it forward. Momo heard the approaching vibrations, and sidestepped the ghostly appendage. Linus moved it to his left, then swung it right toward his mother, who ducked beneath it. He swung lower, striking Momo's feet. She fell on her back, then sat up.

"Good one," she said. She jumped back to her feet, and gestured him to come at her.

For the next hour, Momo practiced avoiding her son's phantom limbs. Whenever she mastered dodging one vector, she had Linus use two. He complied. When she conquered two vectors, the boy used three. Three vectors soon became four. Once an hour had passed, Momo was bruised and exhausted. She sat down on the training mat and caught her breath.

"Are you okay, mom?," Linus asked. "Was I too rough?"

"I'm just fine," she said between breaths. "Believe me, I've gotten worse bruises during my childhood combat training, I promise."

"Look's like four vectors is too much."

"For now," Momo said, "but I bet I can beat that by tomorrow."

"Remind me," Linus asked, "Why are you having me do this?"

"Simple," Momo said, "Kakuzawa runs that research institute that specializes in Diclonii, meaning that he has Diclonii at his disposal. Now that prick sent an army of mercs after us, so I wouldn't put it past him to send Diclonii after us, assuming he can control them. With this training here, I'll be prepared if that happens. It's all about being one step ahead."

"I hope you're right." Linus said.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Later in the day, Linus was walking around the house when he spotted some of the most beautiful flowers he had ever seen blooming all around the estate's flower beds. He knelt down beside a cluster of them and consulted his mental encyclopedia.

_Lycoris radiata_, He thought. _Better known as the red spider lily, or the equinox flower. So beautiful. _He leaned down and studied them closely.

"Admiring the flowers?" A voice said. Linus looked up to see Kotori standing over him. She was wearing a black poncho with white flowers printed on it, a red beret, a yellow skirt, black tights, and a pair of high heeled boots. The young adolescent could not help but notice that the tights accentuated the shape of her legs. His face became as red as the flowers he was admiring. Kotori snapped her fingers. "I'm up here, Linus."

The Diclonius reluctantly raised his head to look at her face. "Sorry," he squeaked. Kotori knelt down next to him and he turned back to the flowers. He leaned over and looked down on them.

"Hey," he said.

"What is it?" Kotori said.

"When I look at them from up above, they look like the emblem on Mom's shotgun."

"These flowers are what the Kuroki family emblem is based on."

"Oh. I see."

A strong wind picked up and almost blew the two of them over. They both looked around and spotted a storm cloud coming in from the east.

"I think we'd better get inside," Kotori said. Linus followed the tall girl through the main gate. On their way toward the house itself, Linus let out a startled cry when he felt something latch onto the top of his head.

"What is it?" Kotori asked as she turned.

"There's something on my head!" He yelped. "What's on my head?" Kotori smiled.

"Awww," she said. "It's just a little owl. How cute!"

"It is?" Linus asked. He was further startled when the bird on his head let out a screech. Kotori tried to get it to leave by moving her hand toward it, but the bird simply nipped at her fingers and tightened its grip on Linus's scalp. The boy squealed in pain.

"I think it likes where it is," she said.

"But it's digging into my head," Linus said. "It hurts."

Kotori looked over to the storm clouds. They were getting uncomfortably close.

"Lets head inside," she said, "and we'll deal with it there."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Momo was in the kitchen. She had just taken some Aspirin when Linus had come back into the house with Kotori. She was a little taken aback when she saw a small brown owl standing on her son's horned head.

"Mom," he said, "Do you know how to get this thing off of me?" Momo stared at the owl, which stared back at her with big yellow eyes. She lowered her gaze to her son's red eyes.

"How did you get him on you in the first place?" She asked.

"I don't know," Linus said.

"Maybe he saw us heading indoors," Kotori said, "and hitched a ride to get away from the storm."

"Storm?" Momo asked. She suddenly remembered the weather broadcast from earlier that morning. "Oh right."

"Can you get it off, mom?"

Before Momo could respond, the owl suddenly flew off of Linus and onto the kitchen counter. Linus finally got a look at it.

"Aw," he said, "It's cute!" Linus summoned one of his vectors and moved its finger toward the little bird. The owl seemed to sense the phantom limb, and nipped at it. Linus rubbed its head with his vector, and the little bird jumped onto it like a tree branch. "Holy moly!"

"Cool," Kotori said.

Linus moved his vector closer to himself. The owl did not seem be bothered. It simply stood there like it was the most natural thing in the world. Linus moved his actual finger in close, and the bird nipped at it affectionately.

"I think he likes you," Momo said. "Would you like to keep him?"

Linus looked over to his mother. "Keep him? Like a pet?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

Linus looked into the owl's eyes. It screeched at him, as if urging him to accept his mother's offer. He smiled and made a decision.

"Okay," He said. "I'll keep him."


	25. Chapter 24: More Vector Experiments

Chapter 24

More Vector Experiments

Linus had reserved a martial arts training mat, as he had done for the past two weeks. Given that he lacked the talent for hand-to-hand combat training, he decided to focus on honing the one skill he had that none of the Kuroki had; his vectors. He usually waited until later in the day to practice, as he soon discovered that flaming ghost hands tended to distract the other Kuroki from their own training. He could hear the sound of his mother's shotgun in the distance. He had no doubt Momo was practicing at the family's private shooting range again.

Itsumi sat nearby in a folding chair. She found Linus's powers both fascinating and entertaining to observe. The boy's new pet owl, Garland, was standing in a nearby tree branch, observing him.

Linus moved his vectors through the air. As air moved through them, they emitted very unusual sounds. One minute, they generated a high pitched whine, and the next, they went low like a tuba. Itsumi leaned forward in her chair, listening to the sounds that the boy's arms made. She whistled a tune at him. Linus took this as a challenge, and he used his vectors to match her whistling. She decided to up the ante by making a flatulent noise with her lips.

"No way," Linus said, "I won't go that far. I have my dignity."

"Darn," Itsumi said.

"Oh," he said, "check this out. This is really cool." He moved one vector up to his lips, and vibrated the particles in front of him at a certain frequency. When he spoke into it, his voice sounded as if he had just inhaled helium. "I come in peace from the planet Mars!"

Itsumi lost control and laughed her head off. "Now that is hilarious!"

"Now check this one out," Linus said. He changed the frequency of his vector, and spoke into it again. This time, his voice was incredibly deep. "My adolescence progresses!"

"Cool," Itsumi said.

"I know!"

"Hey, why don't you practice that electricity thing again?" Linus's smile disappeared.

"I don't now," Linus said. "That's a little risky for me. I zapped myself the last couple of times."

"Hey, practice makes perfect kiddo."

Linus saw the logic in her statement, and prepared his vectors. He backed down at the last second however.

"Wait a minute," he said. "You just want to see me zap myself again!"

"Damn," Itsumi chuckled, "You got me."

"Is it really that funny? It isn't for me."

"Your hair is the funny part," Itsumi laughed. "It gets all poofy afterward."

Linus rolled his eyes and turned away from the laughing woman. He saw a sizable number of fallen autumn leaves in front of him. He built up a large volume of air in one of his vectors, and released it at high pressure in front of him. The leaves scattered everywhere.

"Ooh," Itsumi said. "Colorful!" Linus gathered more air through his vectors, and blew away the leaves that had landed on the mat. Then he shot a gust of air at Itsumi, blowing her back into her chair.

"What was that for?" She exclaimed.

"Now your hair looks funny," He laughed. Itsumi ran her hands through her hair. It was messier than Momo's.

"Touché," She said.

_What to try now?_ Linus thought. He pondered the possibilities for several minutes, then decided to try something very bold.

"Brace yourself, Itsumi," He said. "I'm about to do something really wild."

Itsumi leaned forward with great interest. Linus built up high air pressure in the hand portion of his vectors, then unleashed it, shooting it into the ground. He took off like a bottle rocket, yelling as he went up twenty five feet in the air. Itsumi's jaw dropped as he reached the apex of his height, and began coming down again.

_Oh shit,_ She thought. _How's he gonna land?_

Her question was answered when he curled himself up into a ball and extended all eight of his vectors downward. Multiple handprints appeared on the mat, and the child stopped right above it. He uncurled himself, and lowered his feet back onto the mat.

"Holy crap!" Itsumi said. "That was incredible!"

"I know!" Linus exclaimed. Hey! I got an idea!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Momo fired another flechette round from Old Nelly, which she had set into pump-action mode. The steel darts impacted the gel dummy in a close grouping around the chest area. She pumped another round into the chamber and aimed for the dummy's head this time. She imagined the sadistic face of the unknown man on the dummy and pulled the trigger. A beanbag round struck it right where its face would be if it had one.

"That'll wipe the grin of your face, you fucker," She said. She pumped the shotgun again and fired another cluster of flechettes into the target's crotch area. "And that one's for my sisters."

"Hey Momo!" The angry woman turned to see Eiji walking out of the forest and into the large clearing that made up the family's gun range. She pulled her earmuffs off.

"What is it?"

"You'd better get back to the main house," Eiji said. "Linus did it again."

"Fuck." She said. She walked back through the forest with Eiji, and arrived back at the house seven minutes later. She showed up just in time to see Reiki chasing her son around the grounds with a rake...again. He ran up to her and hid behind her. Reiki stopped in her tracks, the rake held high.

"He mess up the zen garden again, Reiki?" She asked.

"Damn right, he did," She exclaimed. Momo looked down to Linus.

"How did you do it this time?" She asked him.

"He threw himself off the roof," Reiki said. Momo looked to her with astonishment, then back down to Linus."

"You threw yourself off the roof? What the hell for?"

"I can answer that," Itsumi said as she sprinted up to Momo, panting. "He was trying to fly."

"Fly?" Momo said. "Did this...flying thing involve cardboard wings? Natsuko tried that once when she was seven..."

"No," Linus said, "with my vectors."

"Ah, I see. And what was the result?"

"...I can't fly." Linus said sheepishly.

"He landed right in the middle of the zen garden," Reiki said. "This is the third time he has messed it up! The third time!"

"I swear," Linus said, "I'm not doing it on purpose."

This statement was true, as the previous times had indeed been accidents. The first time he messed it up, he had simply tripped on a cat that belonged to Gorou's brother-in-law and fell into the garden. The second time he had ran into it without looking, as he was being chased by Ai and Hina, who wanted to dress him up again. Both incidents had resulted in Reiki chasing him around the house with the rake she tended the garden with.

"No one," Reiki said, "And I mean no one, has ever messed up my zen garden more than once! No one, because they never forget the consequences of the first time it happens!"

"I'm sorry," Linus said, "I'm sorry."

"Reiki," Momo said, "Take a deep breath and calm the hell down, will you? I'll have a talk with him."

Reiki looked like she was about to argue further, but relented and lowered the rake.

"You'd better," she said. "If it happens one more time, I'll bury him six feet under my garden."

"Duly noted," Momo said. Reiki turned and walked away. Once she left, Linus's owl flew over and landed between the young Diclonius's horns.

"Oh, hey Garland," Linus said. Momo bent down and dusted off some of the gravel that clung to his clothes.

"C'mon kiddo," She said. "What's say we go watch a movie or something. We can discuss this 'flying' thing later."

"Okay," He said.

Mother and son walked hand in hand into the house and spent the rest of the day binge watching the Star Wars saga.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Bando walked along the beach again, as he had been doing for a long time, still searching for Lucy. Although he would not find her that day, It was a different day than normal, as he finally got the call that he had been expecting for a long time now. He answered his ringing cellphone.

"Hello?" He said.

"Bando," a male voice said. "It's Masuda."

Masuda was the current commanding officer of Bando's former SAT Unit, the unit he was a part of when he was garrisoned in Osaka.

"Masuda," Bando said. "It's about damn time. I was wondering if you would ever call back."

"You could be a little more grateful you prick," Masuda said. "Given the shit you pulled down there, not to mention the fact that your clearance was revoked months ago, I shouldn't even be talking to you."

"Did you miss me that much?" Bando said.

"I didn't miss you at all. I'd bet my left nut that she doesn't either."

Bando gritted his teeth.

"Let's just cut to the chase, Masuda. Did you find out..."

"She's not back with SAT Bando. I've asked everyone. I've checked with all of the garrisons. I've asked the higher ups. She is not back."

"But you saw the news that night, didn't you?"

"I did see it. I even watched the internet videos. I also happened to notice that she was dressed in street clothes, and not a SAT uniform. Ergo: whatever she was doing, it was probably her own damn business."

_Fuck_.

"What about that kid she was with?" Bando asked.

"No idea. I couldn't get anything on him."

Bando rubbed his head with his prosthetic hand, and took a deep breath.

"Thanks for looking, man," Bando said.

"Why don't you just call her yourself?" Masuda said.

"You know damn well why."

"Alright then. I'm gonna hang up now. Don't call me again." The line went dead.

Bando lowered the cell phone, and looked out over the ocean.

"Okay," He said. "Enough about her. Time to find that horned bitch and get me some payback."


	26. Chapter 25: Winter

Chapter 25

Winter

Linus woke up. He opened his eyes to find Garland standing on his chest, as if standing guard.

"Good morning Garland," he mumbled. The owl screeched, and hopped off of the Diclonius. As Linus reached over to pet the bird, and saw that his arm was covered in black leather. When he tried to move the rest of his body, he realized that he was wearing something incredibly tight.

"Oh no," He groaned. "Not again." He gripped the costume with his vectors, and ripped it to pieces with full force, not at all interested in seeing what it was. When he sat up, he heard a strange ringing sound. He discovered a small gold bell tied around his neck and pulled it off. "What the...?" He threw the bell aside, and Garland chased it to the other side of the room to play with it. "All yours."

He put on blue jeans and a red shirt, and opened his bedroom window. It was a beautiful snowy morning. A gold gentle breeze blew across his face.

"Morning kid!" Linus looked down and saw Saburo waving to him on the porch, drinking his morning coffee.

"Good morning, Saburo," he said.

"Hina and Ai get you again?"

"How'd you know?" He asked, "I ripped the costume off."

"Not all of it," Saburo said. "You'd better get a mirror."

Linus closed his window and left the bedroom, leaving Garland to play with his new toy. He went to the bathroom and stood by Hiroto, the kid who guided him around when he first arrived at the house almost five months ago. Hiroto was brushing his teeth when he looked over to Linus. He grinned through his toothbrush.

"I am so glad you showed up here." he said.

Linus looked in the mirror in front of him. He was wearing a black mask, which he pulled off the second he saw it. His eyes were completely green, including his sclera. His hair had been dyed blonde, and his horns had been painted black.

"Are these contact lenses?" Linus asked, completely astonished. "How did they get them in my eyes without waking me up?" Hiroto shrugged.

"That's a trade secret," A familiar voice said from above. There were no ceiling panels in the bathroom, but he could still hear Ai clearly through the wooden planks.

"You painted my horns again!" Linus shouted to the ceiling. "I asked you not to touch Ami and Yumi!"

"But the costume required us to paint the horns," Hina said. Her voice came from below, under the floorboards. "It wouldn't have worked otherwise."

Linus took a deep breath, and removed the contact lenses carefully. Afterward, he washed the dye out of his hair, and the paint off of his horns. He left the bathroom and headed to the dining room, where the rest of the family was having breakfast. The Diclonius took his normal seat next to his mother, who hugged him with one arm.

"Good morning kiddo," She said. She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "Is that hair dye I see back here?"

"Is there still some in there?" Linus asked. "I thought I got it all."

In front of him on the table was a bowl of rice, a separate bowl of miso soup, and grilled fish. There were also small dishes of various vegetables, and an egg. Linus cracked the egg into his rice and stirred it with his chopsticks.

Sitting all around the table were the rest of the Kuroki family, or at least the ones who lived in the estate, having various discussions with each other. Linus began eating his breakfast when Ai and Hina entered the room. He could not help but blush at Ai's costume, which was a deep red skin-tight one-piece with black spots all over it. She wore a matching mask, and her dark hair in pigtails.

_Wow!_ Linus thought. _That outfit really brings out her figure._

Linus shook himself out of his stupor and resumed eating, listening to the conversations around him. In the five months since he arrived here, he had come to know almost everyone in the house, and they had come to know him. By this point, most of them already saw him as part of the family.

"Where's your bird, Linus?" Hatsu asked from two seats over.

"I left him upstairs," the boy answered. "He's playing with a bell." This statement caught Hina's attention.

"Was that bell the one from your costume?" Hina asked.

"Yes," Linus answered.

"Do you think I could get that back?"

"No way," Linus said with a smirk, "It's Garland's now."

"Tough luck there, Hina," Hiroto chuckled.

Momo was in the middle of a bite when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Her expression turned serious when she saw the caller ID. "Excuse me," She said. She stood up and walked into the hallway. Linus got the feeling that the call she was taking was of dire importance. He picked up his bowl of soup and followed her, staying just out of her sight.

"Hello?" She said. Linus could not hear who was on the other end of the call. "Yes." Her eyes widened. "Where? Really? Hmm. Are you certain it's him? Okay." Momo held her phone in front of her, and waited. Her phone received a text containing several pictures. When she opened them, her right fist clenched. She brought the phone back to her ear. "That's him all right. Thank you. I owe you for this." She hung up her phone, and turned to walk back in the dining room, only to find her son standing in the doorway with a bowl of miso soup, looking up at her.

"Who was that?" He asked. Momo had known the precocious Diclonius long enough to know that there was no protecting him from any truth he wanted to know. She beckoned him over to the living room, which was empty at the moment. They both sat down in the chairs in the back of the room.

"That was one of my feelers," Momo said. "One I sent out looking for the unknown man."

"I thought that Hisoka sent out the feelers," Linus observed.

"He did," Momo said, "But I had some of my own, and decided to send some out too. I figured that we could cover more ground that way."

"Makes sense. Did he find something?"

"He did." Momo pulled up the pictures sent to her on her phone, and handed it to him. They were of the unknown man, taken from a distance. He did not seem to be aware that he was being photographed. "These were taken in Kamakura. The first was taken three days ago. The following one was a day later, and the last one was taken yesterday."

"Kamakura?" Linus asked. "Why would he be down there?"

"If he answers to Kakuzawa," Momo said, "I'd guess he's looking for the so-called 'Diclonius Queen.' Hisoka did say that Kakuzawa has been looking for her ever since she broke free, and Kamakura is where the Diclonii first appeared. I don't know why, but that old fuck wants this queen bad."

Linus took a sip of his miso and processed this information. He looked hard at the pictures, and handed the phone back to his mother.

"So what do we do?" he finally asked.

"That's obvious," Momo said. "I'm going to Kamakura."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakuzawa stood behind his desk, looking out of his large window at the grey winter sky. Snow fell gently to the ground. His phone rang. He turned and picked it up.

"Yes?" He said.

"I sent her the pictures," a man's voice said.

Kakuzawa smiled. The director had picked up a large number of skills during his many years of life. One thing he always talented with from a young age, however, was turning people over to his side. Both his family, and the Kuroki, had developed networks of contacts over the years. All it took to turn one of theirs over to his side was money, which he had in abundance.

"Excellent," Kakuzawa said. He hung up the phone and sat down. A knock sounded on his door. "Come in!"

Nousou entered the room with several files. He appeared excited as he walked up to the directors desk and set the files down on it.

"I have good news, Director," he said. "We've finally got it working. The Diclonii test subjects are able to use their vectors without the device killing them." A twisted smile formed on the director's face.

"Good work, Doctor," he said. "Your timing couldn't be better."

"How's that, sir?"

"The trap has been set, Nousou," Kakuzawa said. "It's only a matter of days before Kuroki arrives to spring it."

"So the plan is in motion, then."

"Yes."

"I do have one concern though sir. If Kuroki does indeed show up, what makes you certain that she will bring the boy with her?"

"She will have no choice," Kakuzawa said. "She has been after...HIM for many years now, and she knows that he will flee if he sees her. If she wants to catch him, she will need to provide him with a reason not to run." Nousou thought about this and quickly understood.

"Ah. She will use the boy as bait."

"Precisely."

"But...HE isn't in Kamakura right now."

"I know. Those photos I had sent to her were doctored, but she won't be able to resist them, whether she knows that or not."

"So what happens when she shows up? Is that when we send in the silpelit clones?"

"Not immediately. When the boy shows up in Kamakura, it will not be long before he and Lucy sense each other. There is no chance that she will simply ignore the only pure male of her kind, and since the boy has likely hit puberty by now, his instincts will demand that he go to her too."

"Would Kuroki try to prevent this?"

"I'm counting on it. Even if the boy doesn't immediately give in to his instincts and kill her himself, Lucy will arrive and do it instead. With Lucy and her brother unprotected, we will use the clones and the mercenaries to capture them both."

Nousou smiled.

"Then I will see to it," he said, "that the clones are ready for battle then."

"Do so."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Out of the question," Momo said. "You're staying here." She walked out of the living room, and Linus followed her.

"But Mom...," Linus objected.

"No buts," she said. Linus picked up speed and ran in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Mom, will you please just hear me out on this?" He insisted. She took a deep breath, and gestured him to continue. "Don't you think this is a little weird?"

"Weird how?"

"This jerk has been hiding from you for five years. You said it yourself, he's so good at hiding, it's like he doesn't exist. Now, he suddenly gets careless and gets his picture taken? Three days in a row?"

_Damn,_ Momo thought. _He's got a point there. Sometimes, I forget just how smart this kid is._

"Are you saying that this is a trap?" Momo said.

"It could be." Momo paced the floor for several minutes, thinking the situation over.

"All the more reason for you to stay here." She said. She was about to start walking again, but Linus held up his hands to stop her.

"No, Mom," he said. "It's too dangerous to go alone."

"Now that I know it's a trap, I'll be ready for it."

"Okay, let's say that that monster is down there. This guy has been hiding from you, and the only reason he showed himself before was to catch me, right?"

"Yeesssssssss," Momo said. She did not like where he was going with this.

"So if you go without me," Linus continued, "He won't come out of hiding. You need me."

"Linus, I don't want to use you..."

"It's the only way."

Momo tried to think of a way out of bringing him, but he was right. There was no other way to lure the monster out.

"Dammit," she said. "All right, Linus. You can come"

The little boy smiled.

"But there's a condition or two though," she continued. "Your going to wear a tracking bracelet while we're there. I am not going to let you out of my sight."

"Fair enough," He said.

"Good."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Three days later.

It was late in the day. Momo and Linus each carried a duffle bag. Hisoka watched them place their luggage in the trunk of Itsumi's sports car. She was preparing to drive them to the train station.

"Are you sure you don't want me with you two all the way?" Itsumi asked. "Or maybe...Saburo could go with you?"

"Not a good idea," Momo said. "If that bastard sees two Kuroki, he'll be gone faster than the fucking roadrunner."

"Momo," Hisoka said, "If this is indeed a trap, then you shouldn't be going down there. You should be patient."

"There's such a thing as being TOO patient, Uncle," she said. "If you wait too long, the opportunity you've been looking for will slip by and never come back. This is something we have to do."

"Why are you bringing a sword with you?" Itsumi asked.

"Excuse me?" Momo said. Itsumi pointed to the Kendo shinai bag she had slung on her back. "Oh." She pulled the bag off her pack and opened it, revealing not a sword, bamboo or otherwise, but her Benelli M3 shotgun. "This way, I can carry Old Nelly around in public."

"Oh," Itsumi said. "Smart."

"Don't worry, Linus," Kotori said. "I'll take care of Garland while you're gone." Her beautiful smile made him blush somewhat.

"Thank you," he said.

"Did you book a hotel room?" Hisoka asked.

"I did," Momo said. "Do you have your iPod Linus?"

Linus patted his front jacket pocket. "I sure do."

"Then I guess we're all set."

"Take care," Kotori said. "Both of you."

"Hop on in you two," Itsumi said. Linus sat in the back seat, Momo rode shotgun, and Itsumi drove off at high speed.

"I really hope she doesn't do anything reckless," Hisoka said.

End of Part One

To be continued in

Nature Versus Nurture, Part 2


End file.
